Card of the Golden Beast
by WhereIsMyBacon
Summary: This may be a story about revenge, but is really about those who go great lengths to protect the ones they love. Hiroki is gone, presumably to his death, Yure is now a scholar. Can she and AYUS save him in time? The last arc of CotGB Chp 15: Doubt & Trust
1. References

**Card of the Golden Beast**

A Tale Told By Cezaria (AKA Halcyon Clouds / Sal)

**Disclaimer:** Ragnarok Online doesn't belong to me, the names do however.

**You DON'T have to read this first part. It's just for your reference.**

**Characters**

Yuresia Findel – A young sage determined to avenge the death of her parents and theft of a family treasure. Uses daggers in battle because she knows magic will do nothing to the enemy. Is cynical and sharp-tongued, but occasionally shows a soft side to friends.

Hiroki Muramasa – High Priest belonging to the Prontera Church. Likes to travel around and skip church duties. Can't hold in any alcohol at all. Has an easygoing personality that constantly gets on Yuresia's nerves and has a love-hate relationship with her. But what is his true identity...?

Irya Heinz – A very outgoing and optimistic alchemist. Kind-hearted and long-time friend of Yuresia. Tries her best to harmonize things in the group, especially between the stalker and champion.

Genbu – A righteous champion who is humble about his abilities and fiercely protective of his friends, sometimes even at the risk of his own life. Dislikes rogues because of his history involving them. Genbu is his monk name, his real name is Ming Zhang. Has known Hiroki since becoming an acolyte high. Has a sibling...?

The Damn Penguin – A proud stalker who doesn't give a damn about anyone (or _did_ he?)...until he met Irya. Has a way with reading people. It is also implied that he is the head of a large rogue guild based in Prontera. He has a real name, but only reveals it to people close to him. Skilled with a bow and dagger.

Safira Lazuli Myer - Imperial high wizard and the co-leader of AYUS, the top-secret guild/organization that monitors magical activity across Midgard. Is confident, mature, and a good leader who commands respect. Works very hard to maintain her jobs. A strong, independent woman.

September - A terse, calm, and composed sage. Safira's assistant...apparently, there is more to their relationship than just that.

Ivanil - Retired Assassin Cross. He does give a rather high-and-mighty first impression. But is actually a very compassionate being. Old friends with Yuresia's parents.

Borea - Retired Whitesmith. Wife of Ivanil. A vivacious lady with the spark of a young girl, is generous and loving, but watch out, as she can be quite deceptive and cunning at times.

**World**

Boss monsters – There are more than one of each type of boss monster, but they are all very territorial so no two will ever appear at the same place at the same time. All monsters except the Golden Thiefbug still lives. The GTB has been hunted to extinction.

SP – The concept of SP is a reservoir. Within each person's mind there is a "reservoir" of magical energy. When that is depleted, skills could not be used and the person is said to not have the "will".

Magic – Magic is not restricted to the basic elements, but embodies time, space, and the everyday workings of life. People who use a GTB card are suspended in a non-continuous space. They can live as a normal person, but they never age and die. Yet if they contract wounds, they will not heal either, and they can die from that. It is a dangerous business.

There are only 2 known Magic Foundations. One is deep underground in Geffen, and the other is high up in the sky in Yuno.

Time magic – There is only one known type of magic that uses time. That magic is the skill "Heal". Heal "speedhacks" time in a localized area on the body in order for cells to repair themselves quickly. It can squeeze a few days to a few month's natural healing into a few seconds. Therefore it is not wise to overuse it unless the condition is crucial.

This page will be added to whenever I feel that there's a need to explain something.


	2. Orphaned

**Card of the Golden Beast**

**Scene 0 – Orphaned**

_When the light subsided, I couldn't see him anymore._

_Not even some sign that he was there just an instant ago…or was it minutes, hours?_

_I look to the gnarled form of that wizard, somehow, in my mind I was secretly thankful he did not end up looking like that, with an undignified death. The remains of the card lay still on the ground, it seemed like the spirit of its former self was finally put to rest._

_I wonder where Irya went. Where were the champion and stalker? Are they dead too?_

_I don't know. My mind was filled with questions, but one stood more focused than the rest. Where did he go? Where did that smile that told me everything was alright go?_

_I don't remember all that clearly anymore, I was only 3 when it all began. For the sake of record, I will try to recall it as accurately as I can…_

------------------------------------------------_  
_

The soft wind brushed the strands against her face when she ran.

"Yureee!"

"Daddy!"

"There there, don't run so fast, you'll trip!"

"Daddeee! Flying hug!"

The man chuckled and collected the small girl who jumped into his arms, his long cape wrapping itself around the father and child with the breeze.

"Do the trick, Daddy!" The little girl cried ecstatically, waving her short arms up and down while sitting in his lap.

Laughing, the high wizard set down the girl, and knelt down beside her so he was at her height. Then slowly, he opened a clenched gloved hand in front of the wide-eyed girl. Several shimmering butterfly flew out from seemingly nowhere within his palm. Red, blue, green, yellow, silver. The little girl giggled as she jumped to catch them as they fluttered towards the sky, leaving a trail of shining dust in their wake.

"I want to grow up to be a great wizard like Daddy!"

A priestess sitting under a nearby tree smiled, a dainty pair of miniglasses perched on her nose, as she watched the parent and child playing on the field.

"Yure, I believe you have the talent. But as a wizard, never forget," He pointed to the left side of his chest, "where your heart lays." Then he looked to the priestess, who waved to the two.

"That's why I married your mother…"

"I don't understand…"

The wizard smiled, from within his cloak, he drew out a piece of hard paper bordered in gold, and handed it to the girl. His daughter flipped the card around and studied the image imprinted on the back. It was of a great golden beast with six legs and antennae, its shell shone with almost lavish brilliance.

"It's so shiny and pretty!"

"It will belong to you someday, when you understand the true meaning of what I said." Patting the girl's silvery blue head, the wizard took the card and slipped it back into his cape. That was the last she saw of it for the rest of her happy years.

------------------------------------------------

The 5-year-old stood absolutely still, young as she was, through her large, green eyes she could see that her mother was waiting for someone, and worried…about something. The air was tense and still; she did not dare to move a muscle, afraid that something terrible might happen…

Suddenly, a high wizard burst through the door, a ghastly expression on his face, a mix of anxiety and fear, both of which were directed towards his family, fearing for their safety and anxious to save them. He closed the door carelessly and bolted it shut.

"Renna, they're here. Get out through the backdoor now, take Yure with you." He said to the priestess rather hastily, paying close attention to the door.

The girl's mother nodded. The woman understood her husband and made no move to stop him; she walked over to the terrified child, and gathered her up in her arms.

"Wait, take this with you." The wizard pulled a muffler from a drawer in the room, and wrapped it around his wife and child. Then, the mysterious card he showed his daughter 2 years ago was slipped into a pocket within the muffler.

"Wait, Daddy!" The little girl in her mother's arms cried out. "Don't leave!"

"I will be safe, Yure. Your Dad is a great wizard after all." He gave her a forced smile, and made a glance at the priestess for her to make haste.

"Come on Yure, don't be stubborn now." The purple-robed woman, while comforting the child, dashed into an inner room in the house, the girl stretched out her arms to her father, but he was no longer facing her as he opened the front door and disappeared.

After they were out from the back door, the priestess muttered a spell, and suddenly they were invisible, but the child did not realize, her eyes were glued to the house that was behind them. Suddenly, there were shouting, a lot of it. Then, with a thundering noise, coloured light exploded in front of the house. One second there was a violent gale, and then fireballs showered from the sky in the next. The fire hit the roof, flames quickly spreading down the wooden frame of the house. As the hungry flames devoured the roof; it also engulfed all remaining pure light from the youngster's horrified eyes.

Then, something caught her eye.

A silver butterfly struggled in the fire, before evapourating into nothing but an illusion in the flames.

As if realizing what has happened…

"Da…DADDY! NO!" She kicked and tussled in her mother's arms, trying to get back to the house, fast burning to the ground. "Mommy! Daddy is…Daddy is!"

"Shhh, Yure." Her mother's voice trembled but held strong. "Listen."

She set the girl down, slipped the muffler off her shoulders and draped it around her daughter's tender frame.

"You must run, as far away from here as you can." The priestess stared straight into the girl's eyes through her oval glasses and put a soft hand to her child's wet cheeks. "And if you imagine real hard for yourself to disappear, you will as long as you wear this. Protect what is inside. Mommy will come and find you once everything's alright again. I promise."

"Bu-" The youngster opened her mouth to protest.

"No, go, run, as far away as you possibly can, do not let anyone see you or know what is on you. Do you understand?" The gentleness was replaced with firm determination as the woman looked into the child's face, and staring back at her were the same green eyes.

The girl nodded solemnly, her mother's expression softened, and kissed her on the forehead.

"Good girl Yure, now go." With a nudge in the opposite direction of the house, the priestess let go of the girl and stood up. She turned and walked towards the remains of the house.

------------------------------------------------

She was breathless as she tumbled through the undergrowth in the forest not far from her home. She rolled under a dead tree, climbed up a ledge, but there was nothing she could do to make the voice stop. It tortured her mind like a hot poker. She did not know what the terrifying voice was, all she knew was that she had to get away from it. As far as possible.

"Come out, little mouse. You can't hide from me!" The voice said again, with an edge of hysteria that sent chills down the youngster's back.

"Don't make me an-gry!"

Huff, huff. She was running out of breath. And strength.

Suddenly, a great ring of light exploded from a dark corner not far from where she was.

"I SEE YOU!"

She closed her eyes and imagined as hard as she could. _Disappear, disappear, disappear, disappear!_

She could feel someone walk up to her, she could feel the light through her eyelids.

_DISAPPEAR, DISAPPEAR,PLEASE!_ She begged with all her heart, but nothing happened.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Frilldora, I should have known. But it wouldn't work now, poppet." A man's voice sounded, from right before her. "Be a good girl and hand over the card."

"NO!" She clutched her muffler close to herself, and turned to run.

"Oh no you don't…"

Suddenly, it felt as if her breath, soul, and very being were being clobbered by a heavy mallet. She fell down on her face, not sure what had hit her. But whatever it was, it made sure that she had no will to rise up again. Then she felt someone grab her muffler, pulling her own body up with the force. The muffler untied under her weight, as it was freed from her, she crashed back down again. Mustering a little strength, she turned her face towards the person who had struck her down.

"Ah, how very simple, yet ingenious, a last measure I presume."

With two fingers, he reached inside the pocket and picked up the precious card.

"N..no…" The girl whispered, but the man did not hear her.

"Ha…haha…hahahahuahahaHaHAHAHA!" A laugh of insanity came from the man as he, still holding the card with two fingers, gloated over his prize.

Then he whistled, swiftly, out of nowhere, as if melting from the darkness, men began gathering around him, from what the girl could notice, most of them were wizards. They were tall, and the cloaks covering their bodies made them seem more monster than human. There was one shadow, however, that was much shorter than the rest. The man who seemed to be the leader held out a hand, and a small, rectangular shield was placed onto his outstretched palm. Slowly, he brought the card and shield together, as if attracted to the equipment like iron filings to magnet, the card sunk _into_ the shield and disappeared. With that, the hysterical leader (and a wizard as she noticed) put on the shield, a fanatical expression mingled with ecstasy formed from the twisted flesh on his face.

Then, without warning, he zapped down a person beside him with what seems like a lightning bolt.

"Why, you!" Another wizard, shocked, cried out at the maniac.

Without warning again, the person who had spoken up was also lying face down on the ground, moaning and twitching a little. From the way he was foaming at the mouth with limbs at strange angles, it looks like he will be living a life on the bed, if he lives.

Muttering and shouts of anger exploded from the crowd around the man. Suddenly, all the wizards started to throw their spells at the one who had injured their comrades. Then gasping in horror at what happened when the spells hit the man.

Fireballs, lightning, ice, even seemingly very advanced spells, they all seemed to hit the man, but he did not wince, nor seem affected by shower of magic directed at him. He only stood there and sniggered at the futile attempts of all the other wizards, as the girl observed.

As if he had enough of the laughable attacks on him, the wizard with the shield waved his arms, and a spell exploded from his lips. The young girl did not hear what it was, but it was not long before she found out.

The other wizards scattered, screaming as they were incinerated by the flaming rocks from the sky, some of them teleported away, some of them fell. In the commotion, the shortest wizard in the group was strangely unharmed as he was just outside the perimeter of the attack. He shuffled and stood close to the man manically displaying his power as eventually, the woods were silent again.

"This….power…." The only man standing mused aloud, "how foolish of Falmoore not to use it for himself! That was your downfall, _friend_."

As if he had forgotten the presence of the girl on the ground, the man cackled some more. Then, with a flick of his wrist, a butterfly wing drifted to the ground. Both he and the short figure vanished into thin air.

To be continued…

------------------------------------------------

**A/N:** Not many changes, some more descriptions. But note the extra person with the enemy.

**Game References:**

Golden Thiefbug Card – Central item of the story. A card that slots onto shield and blocks all magic, including support spells.

Storm Gust/Meteor Storm/Lord of Vermillion – The 3 master area of effect spells wizards use.

Sight – Ring of fire that reveals hidden enemies

Soul Strike – What the wizard used to strike down Yure.


	3. The Uncanny Servant Of God

**Scene I – The uncanny servant of God**

With a final slash from a Damascus, the geographer, an animated and aggressive plant, crumbled to the ground and shriveled up. The victorious one straightened her back, and in the movement threw back her light blue curls from sticking to her moist face. Sheathing the knife to her side, she wiped her brow of sweat and frowned.

_Not Good enough._

She still needed to waste so much strength in killing a plant, let alone anything else…

For all the beauty of its architecture and history, the capital of Schwarzwald Republic's nearby wild land remains a glum sight. With dangerously steep ledges and relatively few vegetation…heck, even the vegetation will endanger dangling limbs if one wasn't careful around here. Some monsters were aggressive and dangerous, and the scenery left much to be desired, with an endless stretch of different shades of brown.

She missed her homeland, Geffen, with its lush green forests and great plains where she would run freely in as a child. But she knew she couldn't bear to go back to the City of Magic without accomplishing what she had set out to do. It had been twelve years since the incident she could not forget nor forgive, the image of that man scorched into her mind like hot iron.

"Vanhugen…" She growled his name, once her father's good friend and a wizard of equal caliber. Upon learning that her father had the Card of the Golden Beast; He convinced many of Falmoore Findel's, her father's colleagues that he was hiding the source to some immense power. Angered by this seemingly deceitful secret, they had turned against him. Rennalyn, her mother, had tried to protect her child by the only way she knew possible, which was to distract the wizards while Yuresia escaped by herself. Falmoore died in front of his house, his body peppered with magical wounds, and Rennalyn went missing. When everything settled down again, the townspeople of Geffen found the girl unconscious in the woods, it was a miracle that she had survived a Soul Strike from such a powerful magic user. And a few days later…the body of Rennalyn Findel was washed upon the shores of the lake surrounding Geffen, in her arms she still clutched a rock shaped like a child. Vanhugen had vanished after he slaughtered Falmoore and gained the card, and to this day no one knows of his whereabouts. Most of the wizards that had joined the revolt against Falmoore disappeared without a trace, and the remaining never spoke of the incident or of Vanhugen ever again.

Calming her rage that went with the traitor's name, Yuresia Findel dusted her sage outfit with her left hand, in the fight with the geographer she had tumbled a few times to avoid the plant's reckless tackles, its flower lined with razor-sharp petals. Of course, from a safe distance away she could well have chanted a fire bolt spell and burnt the thing to a crisp. But…

She walked up to the dead plant, and, after picking through the brittle leaves, found a pink, fleshy center with miniature teeth, a _Maneater Blossom_. Stuffing the living but rather harmless thing into a bag strapped to her waist, the sage decided to call it a day and hiked the hills towards the floating city.

-------------------------------------------------

"Surprise! Look who's here!"

As Yuresia entered the great gates of Yuno, she was enthusiastically greeted with a bone-crushing hug and a face full of fur and hair.

"I…can't…breathe…Eely…"

"Oops, sorry!"

Letting go of the sage, an alchemist stood back. She was a few inches shorter than Yuresia, long, platinum silver hair fell around her shoulders and entangled in the fur muff of her cape, and her great telltale blue eyes swam with excitement as she grinned widely at her friend.

"Long time no see eh? Working hard at the sage thing?"

"Long time no see to you too." The sage smiled cordially, it was a pleasant surprise that an old friend had come to visit after not seeing each other for over two years. But Yuresia wasn't the type of person to jump for joy, no.

"...That alchemist uniform looks awfully skimpy though…" Yuresia straightened the great ring around her shoulders and commented, eyeing the tight one-piece garb. Alchemists were loose with their clothing regime. But it was not like she had much to say for herself, the sage uniform was…quite revealing in some places.

The potion brewer snorted, "Wait till you see me turn biochemist, I heard certain things about a pleated miniskirt…"

Yuresia shook her head; Irya Heinz hadn't changed a bit ever since they bade each other goodbye in Alde Baran. The merchant was bubbly and energetic as ever, even her undying flair for fashion and money that had molded her into the alchemist profession. She drew a lot of attention wherever she went, with her eye-catching silvery blonde hair that was the trademark of her Einbroch origins.

As they walked under the great stone structures of Yuno, the pair caught up with each other's lives. Yuno was a city far removed from the popular and ever-changing culture of major towns in Rune-Midgard. Yuresia was captivated by Irya's lively and animated descriptions of various places she wish she could go to.

"…and they say they want some souvenirs from Yuno. Oh that reminds me!"

Reaching into her bag, Irya retrieved a hair band with snow-white wings attached to the top and handed it to the sage. Yuresia oogled at the headgear, she has never held something as rare and beautiful before.

"Wow, an angel hair band, it must've cost a lot…"

"Like it? It's yours." The alchemist smiled. Yuresia sweatdropped but accepted, she never quite understood how her friend could be so generous at times; when otherwise she would have made the sage pay her for a sandwich. She slid the hairband on, the white wings quivered a little but they looked-

"Beautiful, a girl should know how to pamper herself you know, Yuresia Findel."

"Ehehehe…" A nervous laugh. Yuresia herself was never one to care about appearances; the sage was like a complete opposite to her sassy alchemist friend. Under any other circumstance these two would never have been the best of companions, but Irya and Yuresia shared a special bond that involved a Joker summoned by a Dead Branch from a time in the past. Ever since then, the little merchant had followed the little mage wherever she went…but perhaps that is another story.

-------------------------------------------------

"YURESIA FINDEL!"

The sage winced at the name being said as they approached the Magic Academy. Irya looked to the source of the voice. It was an elderly sage, his white wiry beard contrasted against his flushed reddish pink face. In his hands he clutched a book like every other sage, and he didn't look pleased at all.

"What is this?" The angry staff of the Magic Academy walked up towards them, or rather, the sage. He jabbed a finger at the Damascus in its sheath, livid at the sight of the weapon. "WHAT IS THIS?"

"A dagger?" Yuresia replied curtly, and as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, which it happens to be. The elder sage didn't look too pleased at the attitude she was treating him to, a vein was popping out from his temple. Irya looked worriedly from the old to the young, unsure of whether to intervene.

"Put that brutal weapon away, immediately, and come to my office after!" Leaving these instructions, the sage huffily hurried to his quarters within the School, muttering things about not respecting the wonders of magic under his breath.

"Yure…" Irya spoke up after a few seconds of silence while they watched the disappearing figure of the old sage, her usually enthusiastic tone suddenly serious.

"You're still…looking for him…aren't you?"

Yuresia gripped the hilt of her knife; her face looked grim.

"No one here understands…they all think it's pure rubbish, that the card is a myth. But I saw it with my own eyes…magic is useless. The only way I can kill that…that treacherous _monster_ is by training like this."

"But…where are you going to find this person? How can you hope to defeat him?" The alchemist protested. "I don't want to see you get in any danger…"

"…" Yuresia didn't say anything. But she smile weakly, which would only mean something to her long-time friend. And she meant to say, _don't worry about me_.

Irya said no more as her friend went to do was she was told, feeling a foreboding chill as she stood in the courtyard of the Academy in the dusk sunlight.

-------------------------------------------------

"If I have to hear that fat old donkey tell me once more-" Yuresia took a swig of the purple liquid in her jug, not wine, mind you, the bartender did not allow it. "-once more that I was dropped on my head as a baby that makes me believe in such ridiculous things, I swear I'm gonna…gonna..."

"There there, calm yourself down girl." Irya sweatdropped at the sight of her furious friend, who was smashing the cup down every time she took a swig from it. The master sage was an unabashed discipliner, often berating students in front of many others, for he believed that it served as effective warning to anyone who would think of disobeying his rules, and in this case, bringing shame to the learners of magic. Yuresia had tread upon this sensitive ground when she failed to conform and simply become a mage with more skills, or use books because she didn't feel like carrying heavy tomes wherever she went. Irya knew that Yuresia was a proud and stubborn being who refused to listen to anyone if her mind is set.

"I don't think I can last any longer here, I'm gonna leave this godforsaken place and look for Vanhugen's ass on my own." The sage slumped on the counter. Even though this place was a bar, it was a bar in _Yuno_, one could walk in thinking nothing less from the furnishings that this was a high class restaurant. As a result, customers were well-mannered and bartenders did not serve liquor to minors.

"You know that I'll always follow you, just like the old days." Irya grinned as she sipped her own lemonade daintily, "I actually came to Yuno because I'm bored as heck being Dr. Pedre's assistant. You know the old man," The alchemist then imitated in a squeaky accent while waving her hand hastily in the fashion of said old man.

"'Non Maurice, not now! I'm in ze middle of my experryment--!'" Then reverting back to her own voice, "why the heck does he call me Maurice anyways…"

Yuresia chuckled at the story; Irya was always so full of little anecdotes to cheer her up. Being a merchant, she had to travel far and wide to understand the economics of Rune-Midgard and Schwarzwald Republic. The sage sometimes wished she had that sort of life, to roam free and without a care in the world. But she knew she had a heavy burden that must be resolved…by killing. The both of them sighed collectively and delved into their drinks.

"…and then, the poring said to me, 'I'm not a bouncing boob!' Hahahaha can you believe it? Bouncing boob?"

A male voice suddenly rang out above all in the bar. All the customers stopped their chatter and turned their faces towards the source of the sound, frowning at such a coarse comment. The two girls looked up in curiosity.

The racket was coming from a priest – a HIGH priest, from what Yuresia gathered about his white and gold embroidered outfit. He seemed to have left his raven-black hair to arrange a hairstyle by themselves on his head, but otherwise he seemed clean and well groomed. The man had fairly white skin, even though at the present time it was glowing pink from the liquor in his system. He was laughing loudly at his own remarks and slapped a blacksmith on the back heartily. The blacksmith choked a bit and looked sideways at the priest, he wore a glum expression that told spectators he'd rather dig a hole and hide himself in it.

"I think you're drunk, bro, and it was only two pints…" The smith peeled the priest's hand off his back and said. "And keep quiet, this ain't Morroc you know."

"Ahh drunk schmunk, get outta here…" The "God's servant" put his chin in one hand and batted the air with the other playfully. The blacksmith arched his eyebrows and took a swig of his own beer.

Irya shook her head disdainfully, to think that was a High Priest! She once thought they were the epitome of sainthood, the symbol of holiness, and she worshipped them akin to how they worshipped God. The actions of this priest brought her dream of marrying one someday crashing down from a rather high place.

"I think we needa get a sage in here to dispel you, bro. You're too drunk." The blacksmith remarked again, trying to use his voice to cover over his partner's drunken comments.

"I don't…need no sage…I be like Vanhugen...magic do me naught!" The priest swayed in his chair and announced quite merrily, his friend sighed and ignored him.

Irya saw the sage stiffen in her seat. Yuresia's eyes were wide with surprise and suspicion. How did this priest know her enemy's name? Furthermore…how did he know Vanhugen possessed immunity to magic? The people of Geffen knew he was a traitor, but he had effectively sealed the mouths of those who knew that he was nearly invincible…forever. Even though there are a few people who survived, they fear him too much to speak of the incident ever again.

Without a word, Yuresia hopped off her high seat and strode over to the two men. She must find out. Now.

"Excuse me, can I borrow him for a moment?" The sage asked the blacksmith.

"Sure sis, I don't know him, he just sat his pretty ass down and suggested we drink together, an' I just figured, why not?"

"Yes, yes, that's kind of you. You see…" Yuresia paused to think of a lie, "He is my cousin, and I think I need to talk to him."

"Good luck to you, lady." The blacksmith raised his mug as the sage and alchemist dragged the unsteady priest away.

-------------------------------------------------

Yuresia knew that in fact, dispel would not work on a drunk person, because dispel did not cure status effects, only magical effects.

"What are we gonna do?" Irya ask as they made the priest sit down leaning against the wall that was the back of the bar. "I don't have any panacea with me…he looks like he's having loads of fun though…"

As if to answer her statement…

"Haha and you REALLY don't want to know how angry the hodes got when I told them they looked like-"

"No, we don't want to know, now please shut up." The sage snapped at the priest, who seemed jollier than ever to have two girls kneeling beside him. Irya thought for a moment about the comment, and a red blush crept up her cheeks once realization dawned on her.

Yuresia mentally flipped through spells of the sage she could use to sober up this man. _Spellbreaker, no. Magic rod, psh. Can't use endows on him either…Volcano, Whirlwind…Deluge…yes, water!_

With that, she took out yellow and blue gems from the pouch she always kept with her. They were the catalysts needed to accomplish such a great spell. The sage stood up and murmured the words that would trigger the energy inside her to change the physical world, and then she dropped the stones. They shattered against the pavement but the shards soon became droplets of liquid. In a swirling motion, water began to fill up the area of land the three were standing – or in the case of the priest – sitting on. Similar to a fountain, water poured out from the point where the crystal met the earth, surging and spreading outwards to equalize the liquid's level. A blue misty border served as a "container" for the water so that it did not run all over the streets. The gushing stopped when it was at about the height of the sage's knees.

Collectively the two girls splashed the cool liquid over the priests face, at first there was no reaction or change of state from the drunken man, as he continued to talk about how monsters show "intelligent design".

Yuresia decided she had enough of his drunken antics. She grabbed him by the hair and dunked his entire head into the knee-deep water. Irya could tell she was desperate when the sage became a bit violent. He came up from the water after a few muffled glugs, sputtering and coughing.

"I'm awake! I'm awake! Where am I? I swear to God I wasn't cutting corners on the job!" The priest frantically tried to explain something obscure while he tried to shake the water out of his nose and ears.

"Good, what's your name?" Yuresia inquired impatiently now that the man's sober. The high priest held up his head and looked at both girls.

"Hiroki, Hiroki Muramasa" Seeing their puzzled faces at the outlandish name. "I'm from Amatsu." He added as if that would explain everything, then paused to sneeze, and looked down at his robes.

"Oh my G-," The high priest stopped himself from swearing and rose from the pool of water that was now beginning to diminish, "What have I been doing? I hope I didn't trouble anyone…oh…I should have known better, being a weak drinker and all…" Then turning to his two abductors, "Did I say anything strange?"

The girls nodded simultaneously. The high priest slapped his forehead and started to berate himself fiercely.

"Um…are you done?" Asked the sage when he mumbled something about how the church will force him to do paperwork for the next three lifetimes.

"I'm so sorry for the trouble. And thank you for sobering me up. I'm a shame to high priests, really." The man named Hiroki scratched his head in embarrassment and smiled in vain. The girls just stared at him.

For a fleeting moment, Yuresia thought he looked quite cute when he smiled naturally. Amatsujin were gifted with raven-black hair that no other race possessed and every other race envied. Their skins were also perfect from their secret recipes with sakura petals. The priest's warm, earthy brown eyes also seemed to draw her gaze in…argh, she must not, must not deviate.

"I heard you talking about Vanhugen earlier when you were drunk," The sage got onto the serious topic, "do you know him or where he is?"

"Knew him? Well…" The priest gave her a wistful look that suggested he knew more than he was willing to let out, or so the sage thought. He scratched his head again nervously.

"No, I don't. I only heard some rumours…it's quite an interesting story though…I guess that's why I remembered it."

"Story?"

Yuresia felt her anger flare up. Even she admits that she has a temper problem lately no thanks to the ass-face sage elder. But she couldn't help it. It made her fuming mad that this man would call what happened to her shattered family a "story".

"He killed my family so he can steal my father's treasure! A STORY? You think what happened was fiction?" She screamed at the priest, who seemed stunned at this outburst of rage by the girl. "You wouldn't know Vanhugen if he came and kicked you in the nards!"

The sage turned to walk away, dragging her alchemist friend who was beside herself with awkwardness. Yuresia's disappointment was evident. The alchemist stumbled after her, still pink from figuring out what a hode resembled.

"Sorry for soaking your clothes." Irya called back to the priest, who hadn't budged an inch while standing in the fast receding water, looking a little forlorn.

"Wait." He suddenly said.

Yuresia halted. Then, unwillingly, she squeezed out an agitated "What?" from between her teeth.

"I'm sorry…" The high priest hung his head and apologized, even when the sage couldn't (and wouldn't) see him.

"Is that all?" She replied coldly.

"…"

"Well then, bye." The sage and alchemist proceeded to leave once again.

"Wait!"

"WHAT NOW?"

Wet robes making slapping noises, the high priest caught up with them.

"I might know where this person you're looking for could be…"

Yuresia's eyes narrowed with suspicion, but they could not hide the glimmer of hope that was rekindled in her soul.

"If you're planning to go after Vanhugen," He added, "let me be of service to you since you saved me from certain embarrassment back there." And with that, Hiroki the high priest bowed humbly under the watchful and untrusting eyes of the sage.

To be continued…

-------------------------------------------------

**A/N: **A major change was Yure's attitude to Hiroki in the beginning. Thanks for reviewing, Fushica and TenshiNoAkuma.

**Game references:**

Damascus – A powerful dagger weapon.

Angel Hairband – Just as what was described in the fic.

Maneater Blossom – Item dropped by a few plant monsters in RO. Used by alchemists to summon plants.

Yuno/Juno – City of sages, the School of Sages is situated here as well.

Einbroch – the industrial capital, the name sounded German, so I picked it to go with Irya's German-y last name.

Alde Baran – City of the alchemist guild, where Irya trained to become an alchemist.

Dead Branch – An item that summons a random monster when used.

Dispel – Sage skill that removes all magical effects and enchantments

Deluge – Sage skill that creates an area of ground filled with water.

**Extra:**

How to pronounce their names!

Yuresia – Yoo-reh-see-ah, or Yoo-reh for Yure.

Irya – Ee-ree-ah

Hiroki – Hee-roh-kee

Vanhugen – Vann-hyuu-gen


	4. Warriors of Light and Dark

**Scene II – Warriors of Light and Dark**

"Prontera?"

The high priest nodded, his black hair still unruly as strands bounced around his face. The three had gathered in the town square of Yuno early in the morning after their fateful…or drunken, however you might put it, encounter with each other. Yuresia had no qualms about leaving the Magic Academy now that she had a goal to fulfil and a (very general) direction on her compass, but it was another thing to hear such a ridiculous proposition.

"But…Prontera is the _capital_, the most populated city in Rune-Midgard!" The sage cried in disbelief, "How can someone like him hide there?"

Hiroki shrugged to suggest he didn't know the answer. But last night he spent hours convincing the girls to at least give his idea a try. And they reluctantly agreed.

Yuresia leered at the priest. But wherever Vanhugen may be, he certainly wasn't in Yuno. She would recognize that bastard anywhere he went, his satanic laughter, his high, sneering voice, and the blurred albeit unforgivable memory of him striking her down and stealing her family's most precious possession. Finding her parents both dead when she was conscious again only strengthened her hatred for the foul beast himself. Although she never quite understood, why is it that her father never sought to use the card himself…? Brushing the thought aside, the blue-haired girl concentrated on the matter at hand.

"But how are you so sure he's in Prontera…?"

"I'm not." The high priest chuckled to himself and scratched his head again, pure black gleaming in the morning sun. The sage stared daggers at him, her fists clenched, why was it that they're listening to this crazy man rambling on? As if he felt he had gone a bit far, Hiroki's playful expression turned serious as he continued.

"I heard that a very strong wizard resides in Prontera, no other magic wielders could contend with him. It was a bit suspicious, since..." He paused again, seeming to think carefully about how to put his thoughts into words.

"Since he appeared…so suddenly, a few years ago…"

Yuresia raised an eyebrow. Why, out of all places, would Vanhugen go to Prontera…? She highly doubted he would be anywhere but the most remote of places, but this high priest seemed sure even though he insisted otherwise…he seemed too sure.

Sometimes Yuresia hated herself for her indecisiveness, a part of her wanted to believe that it was true, that she would go to Prontera, meet the traitorous man and stab him squarely on the throat. But another part of her screamed suspicion, why Prontera, why not…Glast Heims, or another place evil villains all tend to go? And this high priest, attractive though he may be (she mentally kicked herself for that thought), gets on her nerves for being so light-hearted about something she holds seriously.

"Hey Eely, I heard that some perverts dress up as priests to lure young girls." She whispered to her alchemist friend.

"I think they're only interested in boys." She whispered back, nodding in a seen-it-all sort of way, "And by the looks of this guy, I don't think he _needs_ to dress up as a priest to lure anyone."

"But still…"

"Sitting and rotting in Yuno won't get you anywhere, Yure." Irya supported the plan, since the merchant had obvious monetary needs and was eager to depart the floating city; Prontera has much more opportunities for trade than the suave but solemn atmosphere in Yuno could offer.

And when she was indecisive, Irya was the deciding factor.

Hiroki, seeing that the taller girl had given in, took out a blue gem. With the muttering of a chant, the gem disappeared, but on the ground before the high priest was a white, whirlpool-like portal.

"After you, girls." The high priest politely stepped aside for his companions to enter before him.

------------------------------------------------

When she opened her eyes in the next instance, the young sage found herself standing atop the cobblestones of the bumbling streets of…Prontera. Rows of red roof-topped houses leapt into view, though mundane they might be compared to the lavish carvings of stone she was used to looking upon in Yuno, this place had…more life and colour. Merchants from all around Rune-Midgard were setting up their shops, selling various oddities she had never seen before. Every class imaginable roamed the streets despite the young hours of the day, mostly priests and knights since this was the city of their abode. In the distance, she could see the majestic structure, with its distinct blue-topped spires and forts, which she took to be the castle of the King, ruler of Rune-Midgard. And…

"Master Hiroki!"

Snapping out of her sheer wonder at the vivacity of the streets of Prontera, Yuresia, along with her two other companions, turned towards the source of the distinct female voice.

Several acolytes swarmed up to the three, or rather, the high priest himself. A couple of them were on the verge of tears as they approached the saint-robbed man.

"Y-you're back, Master Hiroki." Sniffed one of the older acolytes, her dark pupil moist, "W…we thought you…why did you disappear?"

"That doesn't matter anymore," Hiroki smiled pleasantly and patted the acolyte on the shoulder, "You can go tell the church that I'm back, but-" He then added in a small voice, "I refuse to do anything related to paperwork."

Nodding vehemently, the acolytes all beamed with joy as they ran off in the direction of the castle to announce the great news.

"You 'disappeared'?" The sage asked, staring after the vanishing figures of the acolytes. Her eyebrows arched as she then looked at the priest through the corners of her eyes.

"Urgent personal business." The God's servant shrugged off the question, "Shall we go?"

------------------------------------------------

"What do you mean he's a court wizard!"

Both Hiroki and Yuresia shouted at the merchant, who seemed taken aback by their reaction.

"Y-you heard me, the strong wizard that appeared years ago? The King took a liking to him and made him the court wizard." The merchant spoke on after regaining his posture, "Nice man if you ask me, frequents the orphanages in this city, he does."

"Well, that put the suspicion right out of me." Yuresia glared at the priest after leaving the merchant. "He can't be Vanhugen, he just _can't_."

Hiroki paused for a while, saying nothing and studying the young sage. Again, that wistful expression suggested something otherwise.

"The King parades the city with his officials every quarter-year." The high priest spoke after Yuresia had done her share of ranting, "Which means he walks the streets in three days. Why don't we stay and let our own eyes judge?"

Crossing her gloved hands before her, the sage pondered the plan.

"You're a queer guy," She came to the conclusion after some thought, "and I don't like you."

"I know." Laughed the high priest as his light-hearted expression returned, as with his habit of tousling his untidy charcoal-coloured hair. Then he lowered his voice.

"But please, even if you do hate me, don't tell anyone what I did when I was drunk."

"I still remember those acolytes' faces in case this all turns out to be a big fiasco..."

The sage turned up a corner of her lip in a mischievous smile as she wiped the grin off the priest's face. Her alchemist friend punched the air with a fist behind her, as she was not exceptionally dying to leave the great capital of trade just yet.

"We have to find an inn! And I know just the place." The merchant winked as she, for once, took the lead of the group.

------------------------------------------------

"THIEF! THIEF!"

A high pitched scream came from the corner of the street. A few passer-bys stopped to register the source of the voice, and among those were the three travellers. A young merchant girl kneeled on the ground, her trademark merchant bag missing as she screamed at the top of her lungs. Not far from the merchant ran a rogue in the opposite direction. Red, fur-trimmed coattails flying, and clutching something bloated in front of her.

Several things happened suddenly. A blur of white and red cut off the path of the fleeing rogue. With a visible and surprised jump, the rogue halted to a stop and glared fiercely at what was in front of her.

The man in the rogue's way wore the attire of a job Yuresia had never seen before. He looked like a monk, and certainly his physique matched that of a monk. With rippling muscles down his powerful sturdy arms and visible through the opening of his shirt in front of his chest, the man stood no shorter than six foot. His dark brown hair cut short and tied with a long, white piece of cloth from across his forehead and around. What was more eye-catching was the great buckle around his brawny middle; the insignia of Rune-Midgard embossed on a golden plate and decorated lavish carvings in gold, the belt of a great warrior of justice and light, the _Champion_ of all fighters.

"Drop the bag, and apologize to the young lady." The tall man spoke, his voice full of might, his tone unfaltering and the meaning clear.

The rogue sneered, her pierced lips curling in an appearance of mockery despite being severely outclassed. She lowered her stance; her left hand clutched the merchant sack while with her right, she reached for one of the many daggers that were strapped beneath her red rogue garment. The man's eyes narrowed.

In an instant, the rogue vanished in a flash of white light, releasing a gasp from the crowd of bystanders that had formed. The champion stood very still, as if the act did not surprise him at all. But Yuresia could notice that his entire body tightened as if he was concentrating very hard. Rogues were sneaky fighters, once they had disappeared from your view, they could strike instantly, driving a poisoned dagger into any part of your body.

Without warning, as sudden as she had gone, she reappeared, crouching behind the great man, her jagged and rusty dagger held in backhand. She leapt, aiming straight at the vital vein of the champion's neck.

The trio watched in awe as the champion swivelled on his soft-soled shoes gracefully, the dagger aimed at his neck took a plunge into thin air. Within the trained motion of the turn, he brought up an armoured fist and struck the wrist of the rogue, sending the dagger flying, then clattering to the ground. The rogue yowled in pain as she dropped the merchant's bag and held her now dislocated right hand in her left.

"You think you've won, champ-boy," cried the rogue balefully as she tried to talk over the pain, "wait till our guildmaster comes and guts your sinews!"

"No leader of sneaks and thieves shall triumph over me." The champion replied in his simple yet resolute tone as he picked up the bad and handed it to the small girl, who was overflowing with gratitude as she caught up with them.

With one last look of hatred, the rogue disappeared into a dark alleyway.

"Ming!"

As the crowd scattered, Hiroki burst out in a gleeful voice as he rushed up to the champion. The tall man looked surprised, but withheld his posture as he greeted the high priest with a simple wave.

_They know each other?_ The two girls looked at each other and thought simultaneously.

"I thought I told you to use my christened monk name." The champion's voice almost seemed natural when he wasn't angry. "'Ming' makes me think I'm still an acolyte."

"Alright, whatever you say, _Genbu_." Hiroki accentuated the name waved his hand dismissively, upon noticing the girl's faces which permeated confusion; he called them over and introduced them to the champion.

"This is…Genbu, we were rivals a.k.a. partners of sorts in our acolyte high days," explained the high priest. Yuresia nodded to the mighty man, who bowed low to her, the levels of courtesy martial artists showed were indeed extraordinary. Irya stuck out a hand, which was the common way to greet people in Einbroch, the champion took her small hand in his great palm and bowed to her as well.

Irya had thought the grip of the same fist that had dislocated a wrist would crush her own hand into a bloody pulp, and she panicked as she stuck out her hand through habit but was too polite to withdraw it. She was pleasantly surprised that the champion had gripped her fingers firmly but gently. She blushed, noticing that he was cultured as well as handsome up close, with well-defined yet humble features that did not denote him a man of any impure thoughts.

------------------------------------------------

"I had no talent as a healer, so I took the path of the champion and he went for high priest."

Genbu leaned on a fist as he sat cross-legged on the wooden floor. The small yet homey room of the inn was dimly lit from a round window atop the framed bed. Yuresia sat on the mattress as she listened to the two men discuss the old days.

"I still remember how, when you had no more will to heal, you just struck down all the zombies with your bare fists. I was horrified." Hiroki leaned against the wall as he reminisced.

"Yes, that was when I set my mind on becoming a champion…But I thought you were a strange acolyte too. You almost seemed like you know exactly when a monster would die…"

"Oh?" Yuresia butted in, remarking casually, "that's a bit like the skill 'sense' we have to learn as magic users."

"Say, where did the alchemist girl wander off to?" Hiroki shuffled uneasily and changed the topic after a short silence.

"She went to buy groceries," The sage answered. "Irya loves to cook, she says she'll 'whip up a meat stew no one can resist' when she gets back."

"I will be looking forward to it." The champion nodded and placed his palms together in a gesture of appreciation.

------------------------------------------------

A silver-haired alchemist bumbled down the market streets of Prontera, in her arms were paper bags full of potatoes, carrots, and fresh spring onions. After all, she was sure a man of the champion's size could eat barrelfuls of food before he becomes satiated.

All that was left is the meat…_meat, meat, meat_. She chanted in her mind as she approached the butcher's, they were nice people, and they'd always give a hard-working merchant a discount or two.

"Whaddya mean you can't do this for 20 zeny?"

Irya jumped at the voice. From the sounds of it, that was undoubtedly a rogue haggling with the poor vendor. She sighed, rogues always made people's lives more difficult than they already were, and they were people who never seem to understand the hardships of others and never played fair. She peeked out from behind her large grocery bags at the commotion.

What greeted her line of vision were not the familiar red and torn garments of the rogue, but dark blue trimmed with snowy fur. The man who was intimidating the butcher wore a small blue top, revealing his lean yet stiff abdominal muscles. Below the great belt buckle, white fur spilled out and edged the flap of cloth that covered down to his shins. A nasty-looking dagger was strapped to his side, its numerous jagged edges gleaming silver indicated it was taken well of by its owner. The man himself had dark blue hair tied neatly into a ponytail on top of his head, yet leaving some strands of hair to let hang loosely around his face, which, oddly, had none of the various piercing so typical of rogues. Despite his rather peculiar attire, the man conveyed none of the shabbiness that stereotyped the common rogue. Then it struck the girl.

_A…a Stalker!_

"…if I say 15 zeny, 15 zeny it is!"

The savage dagger was unsheathed as it was stuck forcefully and with vigour into the wooden platform of the meat stall, the butcher shivered but shook his head, he would be making a great loss at the price the stalker was offering. Irya jumped again, she really did not want this to escalate into a violent brawl. The alchemist looked around, and noticed that the merchants all seemed to not take any notice of this happening. The odd passing shopper would also give a wide berth to the stalker and butcher. It looked like no one was going to do anything about it out of fear for the _Demon of Night_.

Gathering up what little courage she had over her quivering legs, Irya set her groceries down by the corner of the meat stall.

"Um…excuse me…" She was sure her voice was trembling with fear as she spoke up over the quickened breathing of the butcher.

The stalker turned his gaze down at her, his piercing blue eyes rested on her small figure as if trying to stare straight into her soul like a spear through water. The alchemist wrung her fingers together uneasily as she tried to regain her stature.

"P-please stop arguing…I-I'll pay for your meat, i-it's troublesome for the butcher to settle for such a low price…" She stuttered, picking words carefully as to not anger the stalker. He stared at her some more, as if looking at some rare and bizarre creature. Then, slowly, he grabbed his dagger by the hilt and yanked it out of the wooden plank.

"It's your lucky day, old man." He told the tense but relieved butcher as he stepped aside.

Irya fumbled through her purse with trembling fingers, her heart pounding fast as she placed forth her request and asked about the total price. Even though she was not looking at the stalker, she could feel his gaze as he judged her with his eyes, from her silver hair to the bulkiness of her purse.

_I'll run as fast as I can after this. I don't want to be dragged into a remote alley of the street and mugged and raped and then disembowelled for his enjoyment!_

Thoughts raced through Irya's head as she paid forth a hundred or so zeny for the products. Hurriedly tying her purse to her belt, she handed a package of meat to the stalker, who had been waiting on the side. He took the bundle without a word of thanks, but simply stared at the silver-haired girl some more.

Noticing the street terror's glare, the alchemist quickly excused herself, picked up her other groceries, and ran. She did not notice that, in the movement, her purse had untied by itself and landed upon the cobblestone street.

Of course, she did not notice that someone had stepped in front of the purse and picked it up, white furs on his shoulder ruffling in the afternoon breeze.

To be continued…

------------------------------------------------

**A/N:** Feeling the suspicious vibes on the high priest yet? Haha. And a friendly reminder to check my profile often as I update it a lot with information about the stories and insert pictures.

**Game references:**

Hiding and Backstab: Rogue skill, quite powerful. First one lets the rogue disappear, when he/she is behind the opponent, backstab can be used to deal great damage.  
Haggle/Discount: Rogue/merchant skill respectfully, allows the rogue/merchant to buy things from npcs at a lower price than normal, although haggle lowers the price slightly more than discount.

Sense: A wizard/sage skill that allows user to see remaining HP of monster and what element it is weak against.


	5. Klironomos I

**Scene III – Klironomos I**

The alchemist was panting profusely as she entered the room where the rest of her comrades gathered. Her silver hair tangled and untidy, she was still shaking a little as she clutched the brown paper bags of groceries close to her body like her life depended on it. She closed the wooden door gingerly behind her and leaned against it.

"What happened? Eely?" Yuresia jumped off the bed and walked over, concerned. She was not used to seeing the alchemist act this way. Whatever just happened while she was out had a hard impact on the alchemist, and Irya was not a coward. Hiroki and the champion also seemed to be alarmed by her actions as they perked up to hear what the alchemist had to say.

"A…a…stalker…" The silver haired girl stammered after she had gathered her breath and straightened out her hair. "He was…haggling with the butcher, I didn't want to see anyone get hurt so I offered to pay for him and he was staring at me all the while I was there and…" Irya blurted, relieved that she had gotten that out of her system, "He was so scary…stalkers are so scary…"

"Rogues and their likes were villainous to begin with." Genbu held his fists in a tight grip, as if he was itching to punch. "I can accompany you the next time you want to go out, Miss Irya." He offered.

The alchemist felt her face go warm and her heart race a little. It was the first time any man had been so kind to her for seemingly no reason at all, and he was good-looking and such a gentleman too…Irya could not help but let a girlish grin float up on her face. The sage noticed this and suppressed a sweatdrop.

"Eely, weren't you going to cook?" Yuresia nudged the alchemist on the shoulder, snapping her out of her reverie, which tended to happen often when there were fine men around.

"Erm, yea, sorry." wiping the silly grin off her face and straightening up, Irya prepared herself to go down to the communal kitchen.

Suddenly, before she had a chance to open the door, there came a knock. Everyone stood very still and fixed their eyes on the door. Neither of them had invited anyone nor told anyone they were going to be staying at this inn.

The alchemist gulped, since she was the closest to the door, she was obliged to open it. Irya put her hand on the knob and turned, the door came away with a creak, and she opened a crack.

Blue eyes met blue eyes.

"Yo." He greeted.

"You you you you you're the stalker from before!" Startled, the alchemist backed away from the door as the stalker pushed it open and laid an armoured boot into the room, "How did you get here? I made sure no one was following me!"

"I did what I do best." The stalker replied simply, his voice unreadable of its intentions, "You dropped yo-"

"Who are you? Were you the person who had harassed our friend?" Genbu had risen and was glaring at the stalker suspiciously. He had made it clear that he did not like the rogue class very much, and a stalker was not to be treated otherwise.

The man with a ponytail did not seem intimidated at all as he threw the champion an icy glance that suggested he had seen better attempts. This did not bode well at all with the fist fighter. Yuresia could notice veins start popping out from the side of his head and down his forearm, and she thought she saw white lightning cracking in the air around the great man. Hiroki the high priest watched with mild interest at the scene but did not intervene, his air of calm unbroken and smiling as if he knew what was going on. The sage raised an eyebrow in the direction of the high priest; the God's servant shrugged and scratched his head.

"You're…the one who busted my guildie's wrist, aren't you?" The stalker suddenly spoke. He had been observing the people in this room through the corners of his eyes ever since he entered. He had heard from some of his guild members that a champion was…interfering with their livelihood, until the member having been interfered upon came to him with a dislodged wrist. Being the good guild master he was, he had set out to search around town for said champion, but never thought he would have such luck to find the superhero himself right here in this inn.

"I won't deny it. That would be me. She deserved it, as I caught her robbing and she disregarded my warning." The champion explained as brought his powerful fists together. With a resonant clang, sparks flew from the metal knuckles where they met each other. Bright and round spheres of light, five of them, formed around the champion's body and floated about.

"From the sound of things, you should be the guild master the rogue was talking about." Genbu grinned, as if daring the stalker to even touch him.

The stalker did not seem surprised or even interested, as he continued to survey his antagonist with half-lidded eyes. Without acknowledging the champion, he turned back to the silver-haired girl.

"You dropped this, here." He pulled out a small purple string bag, which the alchemist recognized as her purse. Irya frantically checked her belt, and found that it was not there after all. As the stalker lowered the bag, she stretched out a palm gingerly to accept it.

"Disregard me?" Genbu, noticing the stalker's conduct, made a mocking sound from his nose. "It is no wonder that the leader of thieves is a great coward himself after all."

"Shut up will ya? I was just getting to—"

Irya then felt a gust of wind, and the stalker disappeared from in front of her. She heard Yuresia gasp behind her, and she turned towards the direction where the wind had blown to.

The stalker stood behind the champion, a familiar, long, white strand of cloth clutched in his fist, the ends of the cloth still drifting in the air from the sudden force by which they were removed from their owner's head.

"—you." The stalker finished off his sentence, his tone unchanged and indifferent as ever. He then abruptly opened his palm and let the cloth flutter to the floor. "It could have been my dagger and your neck, champion. I would suggest you watch who you're talking to."

He then narrowly dodged a swing aimed at him as it went through the air atop his head. Genbu was not being shabby either, the fists seem to cut through all friction as they pounded towards the stalker in all directions, their speed only to be rivalled by the thief class's amazing ability of evasion. Irya panicked as she clutched onto the sage, who also seemed uneasy as events escalated to a brawl. Yuresia looked to Hiroki, him being a high priest and all would count for SOMETHING in this situation…right? Her heart sank and temper flared.

_That guy! How can he act so leisurely?_ All the sage could do was throwing the high priest a scornful look as he, perched on the windowsill, was dozing off and didn't seem like he was going to wake up soon. He was definitely the strangest (and most nerve-wrecking) priest she had ever seen in her life.

Irya could not shake off the thought that she had partial responsibility for this. First she had to be nosy and get involved with the stalker, then she was clumsy and didn't tie her purse on securely, and now this stalker was here in the inn and picking a fight with one of Hiroki's friends…over her. She could not allow anyone to get hurt, she simply could not afford the mental pressure she would put on herself if Yure or Hiroki or Genbu had gotten injured…and perhaps the stalker too, since Genbu's fists did look like they could shatter bones…

A flash of silver, the stalker had whipped out his dagger. The cold metal gleamed orange in the setting sun. Genbu smirked; this was about to get a lot more interesting after all... The thief slashed towards him from above, the fighter parried it with an armoured fist. The forces ignited a few shimmers in the air. Without a second's hesitation, the dagger came from the right, and the champion swayed aside to let it pass through the air harmlessly yet perilously close and brought up his left fist…

"…stop! BOTH OF YOU, I SAID STOP!"

As the word dictated, the two men stopped in mid-motion to address the voice. Irya looked on her wit's end, yet she persisted and screamed as loud as she could.

"…now, please stop fighting, the both of you!" Letting out a breath, she stated in her usual tone. Then, stepping between them and picking up the fallen piece of cloth, the alchemist turned towards the champion,

"Here you go, Mr. Genbu." Resting the headgear into the great palm, Irya spoke calmly. "Thank you for standing up for me…I really appreciate it."

Then, to the stalker,

"Thank you for returning my purse," She was still unable to meet his intense gaze, but her adversity towards the rogue had somewhat disappeared. "I misjudged you…you proved to me that not all rogues are bad after all…"

The stalker seemed taken aback at this statement. Yuresia noticed a slight change in expression on his typically hardened face, a flush of pink, perhaps? The sage had let the breath she held in go as Irya miraculously calmed the brawling men, sometimes she had to give it to the alchemist. The merchant had incredible talent for charming everyone who she meets.

"Well." The blue-eyed man sheathed the dagger back to his belt as he walked towards the door. "My job is done here."

"You better watch your back while you're on the streets, champion." He added icily as he stepped out of the room.

"Wait!" Irya bounded after him, calling the stalker to a halt.

"At least tell me your name?"

Another look of mild surprise.

"I don't have a…name…" After a short pause, he spoke, looking a bit bashful than he had before. "But people call me The Damn Penguin."

Irya giggled at the rather…unique name.

"Alright then, goodbye, Mr. Penguin!" She called as she waved after the stalker, who quickly disappeared from view down the stairs.

------------------------------------------------

Two days passed peacefully in Prontera sine the encounter with the stalker named Penguin, whom the party had not met from the time when he followed Irya to the inn. But as the merchant strolled down the streets, she felt an inexplicable sense of peace and safety, there were still thieves and rogues wandering in the shadows, watching her, but none of them picked on the alchemist as she traded and vended on the sidewalks. Or it might be because the champion accompanied her at times, and normal people would not risk fights with a transcendent. Genbu did not like to speak often, and it was always Irya who initiated the talking. But she did not mind, as she had gotten along with the terse and blunt Yuresia for years. It was a rather quiet and serene atmosphere while she was with the champion, an enjoyable break from the bustle of Prontera, and a merchant's life.

Hiroki had been called to the church on several occasions, of which he was always reluctant to go until the acolyte messengers caught him red-handed being as leisurely as a person could be sitting on one of the benches in South Prontera, and dragged him away during Yuresia's sweatdropping session. Even then, the high priest always returned as quickly as possible. The sage sometimes wondered if he REALLY was a high priest, being a slacker and all, and a frustrating person due to it. But he gave her no reason to doubt him other than her inexplicable irritation at him for not taking everything too seriously. But she admits, it was kind of nice for her high-strung self to be taken on tours of Prontera by him personally. Though she noticed that he walked a little faster than usual when they passed by bars.

------------------------------------------------

"Well…tomorrow is the big day…" The sage stated the obvious as she sat in her usual position on her iron-framed bed. It was night time of the second day, and the party had gathered in the girl's room (the men has a room next door, you didn't think I'd let them all stay in the same room did you?). Irya sported a pair of pink BaoBaos, still gleeful at the great deal she made for the rare headgear today.

Hiroki nodded solemnly, he seemed inexplicably worked up over the occasion, not smiling in his own carefree manner as he had always done. But Yuresia did not notice due to her own nervousness. Tomorrow…might be the day she sees the murderer of her parents in twelve years… The thought made her shake uncontrollably with fear yet anticipation, as she clenched her ungloved hands on her knees.

Then, she felt a gentle hand rest on her shoulder, and looked up into the warm eyes of the high priest.

"Yure…" Hiroki spoke, his face as serious as it had been when talked of Vanhugen in the past.

"I normally won't allow people I hardly know to call me by that…but what?"

"Promise me…when you see him tomorrow…" Ignoring the sage's cheeky comeback, his hand that was still resting on her shoulder tightened a little.

"Promise me, do not do anything brash." He finished as if he had held it in for a very long time.

The sage cocked an eyebrow, "don't you mean 'if'?"

"Erm, yes, IF he is the man you're looking for…" The priest broke off his contact with her and cleared his throat. "But if he is Vanhugen, he would be too strong for you…you would get killed…"

"Don't worry." Irya piped up, "I've known Yure for years, and she never does anything brash."

"I just want to confirm tomorrow…then somehow…I'll kill him." The sage stated her intentions, then stood up and spread the blankets. "I'm going to bed early."

"Well then, goodnight ladies." The champion left the room, but Hiroki did not follow him. Instead, the high priest stood persistently in front of the sage.

"What is it?"

"Promise me."

"Alright, I promise. Get out, I need to change."

Grudgingly, Hiroki opened the door. With a last glance and the sage's back, he too, left the girls to their own business.

------------------------------------------------

_She bounced happily down the marble stone-paved hallway, her own reflection mimicking her movements on the polished floor. It was not the first time the young girl had been inside the Mage's Academy in Geffen, she had come on many an occasion to see her father, a head researcher and professor at the academy. Right at the end of this shiny corridor laid his office, a great room with an assortment of trinkets and gizmos and books. She had always looked forward to these journeys to his abode, and today was no exception._

_Suddenly, one of her small feet slid from under her. And she crashed towards the floor onto her knees. The right knee hurt, and a small purple colour was beginning to spread and she scrambled into a sitting position, teary eyed at the wound._

_A gloved hand came into view, it hovered above her bruised knee, and a warm green light emanated from the hand. She watched in amazement as the purple and black receded and disappeared. The body part did not hurt anymore._

"_See? All fixed up." A boyish voice. The girl turned towards him, although through the tears, she could not see his face clearly, but from his clothes she could tell that he was a mage._

"_Heh, I could use heal because I had this," He proudly showed her something called a clip._

"_Haah?"_

_The item glimmered from the light coming through the windows behind the boy. It just looked like a plain old clip._

_Then it was dark, the light had been blocked by something._

"_Klironomos!" The shadow screeched, dragging the boy from his kneeling position to his feet and knocking the clip out of his hand. "What are you doing here? Have I not told you to never use that foul spell? Well, whatever, come with me."_

_Staggering, the boy was pulled away by the wizard who just approached. She never liked that particular wizard much anyways; he always looked at her weird…she stood up and wiped her tears, picking up the fallen item._

_The mage turned his head to look back at her, he smiled and waved. He had a kind smile, like that of her father's. She waved back timidly._

------------------------------------------------

Irya awoke to sounds of shuffling cloth. She turned clumsily in her bed and opened a tired eye.

Yuresia was already dressed as she folded her own blankets carefully and straightened the bed, though the actions were mundane, her expression was sour and unreadable. Irya sensed that the sage was tenser than she had ever been in a long time. The alchemist also rose, rubbing her eyes to the early morning sun.

"I'll go call the guys and fix some breakfast." After dressing and washing, Irya volunteered. Since it didn't look like Yuresia was in a talking mood. The sage nodded and went back to spacing out.

------------------------------------------------

Her heart was thumping; it was literally going to jump out of her ribcage if she was not taking every step towards Prontera square in careful measure. Every person in Prontera was gathered on the streets. It wasn't everyday that you would get to see Tristan the Third, King of Rune-Midgard. Troops of knights and crusaders, the King's own, were stationed at the four entrances to the square as well as around the crowd. It was still a while before the King would parade straight into the square from the castle. But the sage could already feel that she was unable to breathe from the pressure; she wanted to see for herself…she had half-hoped that it would not be him…but even if it was, what could she do in this state?

Irya looked worriedly to her friend, the sage had not spoken since last night, and she was frighteningly pale-looking. But the alchemist understood that this day meant the world to the sage, it was the day she had been waiting for, or hoped for. Genbu seemed to also sense the tension in the group. It was hard to tell because he was usually hushed anyways, as he stood with arms crossed in front of him. Hiroki had a fair, straight face. But he, too, did not speak often. Irya has a hunch that he must be affected by Yure's mood. She smiled a little, those two always seemed to not get along, but she could feel that the sage was becoming more open to him, just as she was to her a long time ago…

A cheer rose from the crowd, and the girls craned their necks to see through the thicket of people. In the distance, the direction of the palace, a formation of small dots was beginning to head towards their way. The sage squinted for a better look; in the centre of the cluster of people was the King, wearing his royal attire of a long purple robe and sporting a golden crown atop his greying hair. She could not recognize any of the people beside him. Yet none of them were wizards either. The butterflies in her stomach fluttered about furiously as the parade approached at its own pace. Her hands shook, her whole body shook. As each face came into view, she studied them carefully, but she has yet to find the murderer amongst the King's followers.

Then, two people appeared behind the King that she recognized as high wizards. It was a woman and a man. The woman had short-cut blonde hair held in place with a crescent hairpin, which did not ruffle into untidiness even in a breeze. Her lovely face was young yet wise, with a pair of intelligent and crystalline violet eyes. The fur cape only covered her body to halfway down her thighs, and she walked with an air of elegance that was further enhanced by her finely decorated white-gold dress and boots. The sage could not help but feel a little jealous as she stared at the brilliance the high wizard cast around her, walking in the parade as if the wind obeyed her every whim.

Yuresia tore her eyes from the lady, and looked towards the man. The King's company had approached closer to the square, and she could get a fairly good view at every person.

The man seemed a bit younger than she had thought Vanhugen to be. He walked with his head bowed, as the tresses of his cape bounced with every step. The sage stared furiously at the man, also with blonde hair, but considerably dirtier-looking than the woman who walked beside him. He continued on with his face towards the ground, and Yuresia cursed frustratingly in her mind that she could not see his face more clearly.

He then, as if sensing something, brought his head up and looked warily at the people about him. The sage's heart sank, yet it was relieved as well. The man didn't look like Vanhugen at all… for one, he was too young, his dirty blonde hair had no strands of silver visible, and the sneer she remembered all too well was nowhere to be seen. Yuresia sighed. She was going to give the high priest a good reprimanding before she would let this…go…

Her eyes met the man's.

Then it was as if she was back in that dark forest, with her breath knocked out of her once again. Lying at the foot of the looming shadow that was to haunt her dreams for years… His screeching laughter would not, would not go away... She wanted to grab her head and scream, but not an inch of her body would listen to her, only holding transfixed in the illusion.

_He was there and there was nothing you could do.  
Your parents are dead and there was nothing you could do.  
You lost the item you were supposed to protect and there was nothing you could do.  
_

_I am here. And there is nothing you can do!_

"Yure! Yuresia!"

The darkness disappeared, and Irya's face came into view, the alchemist breathed a sigh of relief as the sage returned to reality.

"You suddenly started shaking and going deathly pale…what's wrong?"

Her hands rose to grab and tear at her light blue locks, and the sage shivered uncontrollably. It was him. She knew it now, all too well. Only that fiend could implant such terror into her mind.

"It's him…it's him…" She muttered. The sage looked back at the high wizard, he was not looking in her direction anymore, everything made no sense, but in her heart she knew. She also knew she would never forgive him. How could he, how _dare_ he stand there, alive and well when he had betrayed and killed her family?

Unwittingly, she snatched her Damascus, clenching it tightly in a quivering fist. Irya became alarmed, as the sage had disregarded the high priest's warning and pushed towards the front of the gathering with bloodshot eyes and dagger in hand.

Hiroki had been watching from the sidelines. Now was not the time to stand by idly as the sage was about to get herself in great trouble, or even worse, killed. Acting quickly, he stepped to Yuresia's side and extended an arm to prevent her from pushing into the crowd of people.

"Out of my way." The sage snapped coldly. But the high priest did not budge.

"You promised you wouldn't do anything brash." He said just as coolly, staring unfalteringly into her eyes.

"I don't care. That bastard is going to die." Yuresia looked away and tried to push the priest's arm away. But Hiroki persisted as he advanced, backing the sage away from the crowd.

"I can't let you get hurt." He replied simply. "There is no telling what's going to happen."

"That's none of your business!" The sage began to push violently against his barring arm. The priest looked a bit hurt, but he endured, determined to not let her move one step further.

"Don't! Yure!" Irya grabbed the sage's arm to try and hold her back, but was thrown off balance by the stronger girl's flailing. Genbu caught the alchemist before she fell to the ground.

"Move it. Or I'll cut you down too." Yuresia glared and raised her Damascus threateningly. Hiroki did not flinch as he positioned himself directly in front of her, so she could not see Vanhugen. Clenching her teeth together at the priest's defiance, the sage shoved him fiercely with her left hand. In retaliation, he brought his hands closer and rested them firmly on her shoulder, holding her at half-arm distance away.

"Let go of me!" Yuresia struggled to loosen herself from his grip. But the stronger she resisted, the stronger he held on.

"Calm down." Hiroki told her, his face in a rare state of seriousness. "Please…"

"LET GO OF ME NOW!" She refused to obey, thrashing with all her might as he forced her away from the crowd. Their cheers for the King drowned out her protests. Irya looked on cautiously; it was the first time she had seen her friend so enraged and crazed. She had no power of her own to stop the sage's rampage. The alchemist rested her hope in the high priest, wishing he would somehow calm her down without alarming any of the guards.

A streak of silver, a jet of red, Irya gasped.

Yuresia's Damascus was embedded in Hiroki's arm, her hand still on its hilt as blood poured forth from the wound. The sage was frozen in shock, staring from the blood to the dagger to the priest, then back at the blood. Slowly, she pulled the weapon from. The priest's blood dripped on the ground from the metal, as it also trickled down his arm onto her shoulder. Hiroki winced at the pain.

"I…I…I'm sorry, are you…"

"Are you calmed down?" He asked her, despite his wound, the tone of his voice was steady.

"I…are you-"

"Are you calmed down?" The high priest asked again. Yuresia nodded meekly, the Damascus fell with a clatter to the pavement in the little pool of blood. She raised a hand gingerly to the priest's arm. The red stain was spreading fast over his clean, white robe. She didn't mean it; she didn't mean to hurt Hiroki. She had to stop the bleeding…somehow.

"I'm alright. I'm just glad you're back to your senses." The high priest smiled, and his eyes exuded their gentle warmth again, his hands also relaxed on her shoulders, knuckles turning pink when once they had been white.

Feeling extreme weariness at all that has happened, the sage gave in and slumped into the high priest's arms.

------------------------------------------------

**A/N:** Not much changed, tweaked some bits so they make more sense.

**Game references:**

Fury – Monk/Champion skill, increases attack and crit rate I think, referring to the "white lightning" cracking around Genbu.

Hyper Spirit Sphere (Dangerous Soul Collect/Zen) – Champion skill, summons all five spirit spheres at once.

Divest Helm – Rogue/Stalker skill, takes off a piece of headgear.

Chasewalk (Stealth) – Stalker skill, undetectable except for footprints on the ground. It was implied that Penguin used this to track down Irya.

Healing clip – Clip with a Vitata card. Allows the use of heal level 1.


	6. Klironomos II

**Scene IV – Klironomos II**

_Since I had the knowledge that I existed, I always see a 'dream'._

_It wasn't a dream where you fall asleep and your mind wanders. One moment I was here, Hiroki Muramasa. Another moment, I was someone else, somewhere else, some_time_ else._

_The gears of the world's clockwork…I feel it._

------------------------------------------------

Irya pulled the blankets over the sage's sleeping form. Yuresia looked so white, first from the shock of finally finding the murderer of her parents, and then in her frenzy she had stabbed Hiroki who was trying to protect her. _Too much excitement in a day_, the alchemist sighed as she tiptoed out of the room and closed the door gently behind her.

"How's she doing?" Was the first thing anyone said when she entered the room next door. It was the high priest asking the question.

"She's sleeping now."

The high priest breathed a sigh of relief, his arm was wrapped in bandages and it rested in a sling over his shoulder. He had sealed the wound so it would stop bleeding, but the muscle and blood vessels inside were damaged and that would take a few days to heal. Hiroki was admittedly shocked that the sage had actually drove a knife into his arm, but he didn't know why he still held onto her shoulder, trying to calm her down instead of healing himself first. It was quite a mystery, the things he did when she was around, even he didn't understand himself. But now there was also something else nagging on his mind, like a mosquito that refused to leave him alone. Hiroki was agitated about something, and that didn't happen often.

"I'm going out for a walk." He concluded to the champion and alchemist.

"It's turning dark already…" Irya stated.

"I'll be ok." Hiroki replied as he quickly strode out of the room.

The two people left were silent for a while, until Irya brought her hands to her face in distress. She didn't want to see her friend like this, so weak and helpless and hateful. Yure might be cold at times, but the sage was always the strong one out of the two of them, always looking after her like a little sister. Now… to see her break down was another thing. The alchemist really didn't know what to do.

"Miss Irya?"

It was Genbu. The champion had been the calmest person in the ordeals of today, perhaps it was because what happened didn't involve him, but he was genuinely concerned for the alchemist, she could tell from his tone of voice.

"I'm fine." She wiped away a small tear, "it's just…that Yure is such a dear friend of mine…I don't want to see her like this…"

"How long have you known each other?"

"Four years, since we were thirteen. And both of us were in our primary jobs." The alchemist smiled as she reminisced. "Right from the beginning, she had always protected me and gave me confidence in myself."

The champion nodded as she continued to talk.

"I'm not used to this… but I feel like I must also follow and protect her now." Irya smiled confidently, "She was the one who gave me freedom…she's the most valuable person to me."

Genbu's eyebrows went up a bit, "She gave you freedom?"

Irya nodded. "If it weren't for her, I would have been ruined, in a prostitute house."

The champion became alert. Prostitute house? Freedom?

"You see," The alchemist took a few strands of her silver hair in her hands, "All the while I was growing up. This attracted the attention of men around me."

Then her eyes lowered as she remembered her past. "My parents were always there to protect me though, they said when I was older they'd send me away from Einbroch to study to become an alchemist."

"But my father died of lung illness, and mother died soon after of grief. All that was left of our family was my brother and I."

"My brother was not a good person, he got into fights often, and was drunk nearly all the time. My parents didn't like him, so they doted on me, and he was jealous."

"After mother and father died, he mistreated me; I used to starve a lot while he drank away what little money our parents left for us."

"One day I couldn't stand it anymore, so I stole some money and ran away from home. I went to Alberta and joined the merchant guild. It was after a few months, when I was near the fields of Geffen that I met Yure."

"I was jumped by a Joker that was not supposed to be there. When I was running from it, I ran into Yure, who was still a mage then. And together we managed to defeat the Joker."

The champion was listening intently as Irya continued with the story of herself.

"My brother eventually found me, and kidnapped me back to Einbroch, intending to sell me to a prostitute house for high prices, because of my looks. It was Yure who tracked us down, and she…killed my brother."

Genbu's eyes widened, he never realized that the alchemist and sage had such a history together. He could understand why they were so close now.

"So…that's why I'll follow her wherever she goes, and I'll protect her with my life if I had to."

"Miss Irya…"

The alchemist snapped out of her reverie, "Yes?"

"If you ever need it…I will also protect you…and everyone else around you." He got his words out a little awkwardly, eyes looking at the ground rather than at her.

She smiled; it was a genuine smile from the heart.

"I'd be grateful for that."

-------------------------------------------------

Hiroki paced the cobbled streets, the light of sky quickly dimming as the sun had already sunk below the horizons. There were few people still out in the open, birds had disappeared completely, and a few bats had come out of their abode and fluttered in the skies, little shadows that occasionally flitted across his line of vision.

Although his exterior seemed like nothing else than someone who had come out to enjoy a walk, inside his mind, it was turmoil.

It was hard to admit it, but he was certain he had come to care a lot for the sage. Which he would have condemned and called it a weakness if he was his older self. Yet this feeling of care was somehow strongly rooted in him despite having only known her for a few days…but when he first saw her in Yuno, the déjà vu rang out alarmingly in his mind.

That hair, those eyes, he could never forget, even when his own body was not listening to him. He had felt so powerful, so invincible, that nothing mattered so he had let everything happen…and then…

The high priest surveyed his surroundings and sighed. When he left, he'd never have imagined returning to this place. But then again…after he met that sage, he had changed in way he'd never imagined. He wanted to help her, even at the expenses of his own…sanity. He felt guilty inside for lying to her, and many people during the length of his existence. She will find out about him sooner or later, and he wished with all his heart that she would trust him. And that was a thought that always recurred in his mind ever since he met her. But more than anything; he wanted her to forgive him.

_It's been a while, has it not?_ An eerie voice spoke to him through his mind. Hiroki was not surprised; another reason he was out and away from others, was that he was expecting an exchange in this style.

"Don't try to make small talk with me".He replied in a low voice. "Get to your point."

The thought-voice chuckled. _When have you become so cold towards me, Klironomos? I feel so… sad._ The word was spoken as if it was an outlandish term.

Hiroki gritted his teeth, what does this monster know about sad, pain, or despair? He liked to cause them, that was for sure.

"What do you want?" He called out. "And stop calling me by that name!"

_But that's what you are to me. Klironomos._ The voice replied lazily. _Despite you abandoning me and asking the Valkyrie to turn you into that vile job…_

"I became a high priest thinking you'd leave me alone. But apparently that was not the case…"

_You should have known I was not someone who would give up easily…yet I was so disappointed when you ran away from me again, two years ago…_

The sky was completely dark now, and streets were deserted as the high priest stood in its midst all by himself. He would have looked like he was alone, but Hiroki knew he wasn't.

_Yet I am so happy to see you again, Klironomos. _The voice dawdled, enjoying the high priest's discomfort. _And I see you've also brought a little…acquaintance of mine._

The high priest cursed under his breath, the last thing he wanted was for Vanhugen to realize who Yure was, but it seems like he underestimated the wizard's memory.

_When have you become so weak? So afraid to face me that you brought that Findel child in hopes that she will destroy me? _Vanhugen laughed, it was high and cold, cutting into Hiroki's mind like an icicle. The high priest still did not speak a word.

_Do you fully understand what you are, Klironomos? I can tell you everything you ever wanted to know…why you exist in this world…if only you would come back to me._

"Shut up! I want nothing to do with you! Go seek your…deviant goals on your own! Leave me alone!" Hiroki cried and clutched his head with one hand, resounding high-pitched laughter echoing in his mind.

But it was true, questions that had been plaguing him ever since he had a conscious.

_Then why have you brought Falmoore Findel's child to me? Why have you let yourself become involved in her vengeance against me?_

The high priest blinked. _Why?_

Then he remembered, somehow, back in Yuno, when his vision cleared from the alcohol he had, he saw her, and knew who she was. At that moment, his heart had skipped a beat… But he could have not cared; he could have just walked away without saying anything. But he didn't, something made him catch up to her, something made him take her here, something also made him willing to do anything to protect her. Maybe he felt that he owed it to her, for being Vanhugen's disciple, and…

The high priest shook his head to clear his mind, there was also something in there he didn't want to remember. Something terrible he had done.

But now that he had come so far, he knew that he wanted to do so much more than just…say sorry.

_I…see. _The voice snapped him back to the empty and dark streets of Prontera. Vanhugen chuckled, it was not a nice sound. The high priest tensed, had he been so lost in thought that he had allowed the wizard to look into his mind?

_What is this? _The wizard seemed highly amused as he spoke. _You are…falling for her?_

"Shut up. I only wanted to help her because I want you dead." The high priest snarled at the voice, it was an odd expression he made, completely inconsistent with his normal self. Something that Vanhugen tended to bring out of people.

_Is it? Your conscious tells me otherwise._ Vanhugen sounded amused as he taunted. _But you have disappointed me so, Klironomos, relying on a little sage girl to do the dirty work for you…_

"I'm not afraid…of…you…" Hiroki felt his eyes go hot and his vision turn red, his free hand was also burning with magical energy, and he was sure it would be glowing by now. But he didn't care how he looked like at this moment. "Come out Vanhugen! We can settle this now!"

"I remember what he said, and I know it is truly you who is afraid of me!" He taunted, and heard Vanhugen hiss in his mind.

Then he saw it, two glowing red eyes in the dark ahead of him, holding him in its unblinking gaze. Without thinking, and whispering and a few ancient words that triggered the magic in him, he sends a few javelins of fire at the red eyes.

A flurry of black feathers, and the crow dodged the flames and perched upon a higher rooftop, its red eyes still resting on the high priest. Who seemed shocked at what he had done.

_I knew you still had that in you, it would be such a waste otherwise._ The voice approved. _I could still train you back into what you were before…despite your horrible choice of job. You could be so much more powerful…so much more formidable…_

"No!" The high priest shook his head; he couldn't let it get to him. He'd given up on doing destructive magic a long time ago, he can't let Vanhugen anger him any further to cause more damage. Yet it scared him, how easy it was for him to recall the need to demolish with fire, freeze with ice, and stun with lightning.

_You really are unaware of your own capabilities…how disappointing. _Vanhugen snorted, disgruntled by the high priest's attitude. _I will be waiting for you…at the church tomorrow, at this time._

_Think of it as…a family reunion. If you should not show up…I can only imagine the surprise those little acolytes dusting the church after dark will get…_

Hiroki's eyes widened with horror. The church closes after dark, but acolytes who train there were required to do chores within the church to earn their keep. At that time, there would only be at most two or three priests watching over them…

"Don't you dare! Vanhugen!" He shouted to the red-eyed bird, it had come out more like a plead rather than a threat.

_That is my choice, _Hiroki Muramasa. The voice said his real name for the first time, with considerable disgust. _And your lack of magical training appals me, as you did not even notice we have company, our little chat ends here._ With that, the bird cawed once, and beat its wings, quickly disappearing into the murky darkness.

The high priest quickly whipped around, surveying his surroundings.

"Who's there? Show yourself!"

One of the many shadows clinging to the walls between buildings shifted.

"This is rare." The shadow spoke; it was a male voice, low and indifferent, "A high priest talking to himself in the dark of night."

When the shadow slowly melted away, revealing who was speaking, Hiroki realized why the voice sounded so familiar.

The Damn Penguin leaned casually against a bricked side of a house as he studied the high priest, who was glaring at him with narrowed eyes, almost a completely different person from what he saw merely more than a day ago. The stalker had an uncanny ability to read people, as he had seen how the champion was a simpleton, how the sage was determined, and the alchemist was strong-willed and always tried her best. However, there are few people he couldn't read, and it alarmed him, as they are the ones to look out for. This high priest was one of them.

"How much of what I said did you hear?" Asked the high priest.

"Does it matter? It's none of my business, and I don't intend to get myself involved." The stalker shrugged and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Hiroki did not reply, apparently the man in front of him had more to say than just that. The fact that he did not walk away or sneaked off as silently as he stayed listening proved that.

"One question though, God-boy," The stalker continued, just as Hiroki had expected, "will this business of yours put the others in danger?"

Te high priest chuckled. "What if it will?"

Penguin seemed to ponder this as he raised his head to look at the moon, which was spilling its silvery light over the now-dark city.

"Then..." He reached for the dagger strapped to his side, "I'll have no choice but to kill you right here. Because I don't want to see those innocent girls get hurt."

To his surprise, the priest smiled, as if he was relieved.

"…looks like we're thinking the same thing." He said after a while. The stalker arched his eyebrows in confusion.

"I don't want to see them get hurt either… If it makes you feel better, I will even risk my own life to protect them." Hiroki answered sincerely, "But this ordeal is what connects us together."

The stalker seemed a bit displeased that the priest implied he needed to be assured, but he seemed to take that as an answer as he removed his hand from the hilt of his dagger.

"I'll trust you for now," Penguin replied simply, "But if you ever came out alive, and they didn't…"

He melted back into the shadows, letting the meaning of his unfinished sentence linger dangerously in the air.

-------------------------------------------------

**A/N:** Pow! What the hell is that high priest?

I suppose this was where I left off. If you care for more, press that submit review and say "aye" ;D Or a little more than "aye" is good too. And I shall pull the next chapter out of my... wherever this week.

**Game references:**

Fire Bolt – The spell Hiroki cast at the crow


	7. Infection

**Scene V – Infection**

_Falmoore tasted blood in his mouth, blood that did not come from any external wounds. No longer having any energy to stand, he slumped against the ruins of his burning house. The dark pupils of his pale grey eyes were fixed on something in front of him. As he fought against giving in to his fast-diminishing life force, the expressions on his face permeated a mixture of shock, disbelief, and…fear. More viscous red liquid welled up to his mouth, he knew he didn't have long to live._

_His leer was not directed at the smirking face of another high wizard standing a little distance away, but instead at the figure of a young boy garbed in an oversized wizard's cape standing before him._

_The boy looked to be no older than twelve or thirteen, jet-black hair on his head resembling an unkempt garden. On his face was not the typical inquisitive and energetic air which youngsters his age would possess. Instead, his dark eyes were eerily devoid of any emotion whatsoever._

"…_Monster." The dying wizard spat out a mouthful of blood and cursed. Like a sinister statue, the boy did not move._

"_I wouldn't do that if I were you, my dear old friend." Cackled the high wizard standing behind the child, "I would like for you to stay alive a bit longer so I can enjoy this show."_

"_Vanhugen…" Falmoore spoke quietly and in between difficult breaths, as it was the best he could muster in his state, "You know you would never have stood a chance against me if we duelled on fair grounds…"_

"_Look who's talking!" The wizard named Vanhugen gave a high, cold laugh. "You didn't stand a chance against him now, did you?" He said as he patted the young boy's shoulder. The boy took no heed of the contact._

"'_Heir of the Foundations'…eh?" The fatally wounded wizard wiped his lips with a hand and whispered, then chuckled bitterly to himself. "I've spent my life researching them…but it turned out to be you who managed to find one of them…and even to control it……I'm impressed, colleague."_

"_Aren't you honoured that you will now die at the hands of one of the greatest gifts this world has given us?" Vanhugen announced with excessive vigour as he threw up his arms to the sky._

"_As to be expected...a normal person like me is no match for the children loved by Magic…" Falmoore said regretfully, "You know as well as I do, that you're only doing this because you fear him far, far more…"_

"_Now if you'll excuse me, I must go and hunt down your wife and child." Vanhugen interrupted and said in cruelly playful manner; as if he was merely out to catch some dragonflies in summer. He turned around to leave, as the wizard did so, he waved a few fingers in Falmoore's general direction._

_The blue-haired wizard's eyes widened with horror._

"_N-No!" He fought to stand up, but his limbs would no longer listen to the commands of a dying mind._

"_Kill him, Klironomos."_

_The boy who had been standing completely still stirred. His right arm slowly rose as if controlled by some invisible puppeteer. In his palm was an ominous pulsing mass of silver-white energy._

_Falmoore sighed and closed his eye. There was to be no salvation for him, blood trickled from his chin and a few drops splattered on to the earth between his hands. The image of his lovely wife floated before his mind's eye. She was holding a baby tenderly as she reprimanded him over his working hours. The baby had hair the colour of summer sky, and she was sleeping soundly in the arms of her mother._

"_I'm sorry…" Whispering his last words that only he could hear, "Renna…Yure…"_

_And then a silver butterfly fluttered over the flames._

------------------------------------------------

Yuresia awoke with the morning sun's rays shining on her eyelids. She was still neatly tucked into the blankets, arms at her side. On the chair at the end of the bed were her sage muffler and ring, folded and placed carefully on the seat.

On the chair beside her, was the high priest.

"Good morning." He gave a simple greeting.

"How long was I out?" Asked the sage dazedly.

"About a day."

As she pondered over this, the high priest shuffled and stood up to leave. But he wasn't expecting her to reach out a hand and grab his robes.

"Stay with me for a while…will you?" The sage had her head tilted away from him as she spoke hesitatingly. He obliged by sitting back down next to her. And for the longest time, there was only silence between them and the chittering of birds outside the window.

"Your arm…is it alright?" The silence was broken, and he nodded.

"Sorry."

"It's alright."

------------------------------------------------

Outside in the hallway, Irya put the basin of water she was holding down on the floor quietly before biting on a towel to stop herself from bursting in and telling them to get on with it.

------------------------------------------------

"You know…" The sage started to say. Her voice was detached, like she was talking to herself. "I think of my parents a lot lately…"

The high priest did not say anything. When they say mental pain of regret and guilt was far worse than anything the body can feel, they were right…whoever they were.

"Dad was always smiling, even when mom always yelled at him for doing stupid things because he had no common sense…" Yuresia laughed, completely unaware that she was talking to the person who had brought all of that to an end. "I was always copying what mom said when I was little. And I think her…interesting…ways of expressing things negatively rubbed off on me…haha."

_So that's where that sharp tongue came from…_ Thought the high priest with a sweatdrop.

"Say…Hiroki." Yuresia turned to him, her face serious. "Thanks for helping…but…"

"I might die. You had nothing to do with this, so you don't have to be here anymore. Neither do any of them, Irya or Genbu."

"I-" The high priest stood up to protest, but the grip the sage had on his clothes were stronger than he had thought. He stumbled, and same as any person who stumbles but did not have full use of both their arms, he fell forward.

And when he stopped himself from falling flat on top of the sleeping sage with his right arm, the high priest opened his eyes and realized that his face was mere inches from Yuresia's. Her emerald eyes were blinking in surprise up at him.

"OF COURSE I WILL BE HERE!"

Irya burst through the door, having heard what her friend said. Then, seeing the scene before her, she covered her mouth with the towel in shock. Hiroki and Yuresia looked at her. For two seconds, the three people in the room did not move.

"I'msosorryforinterruptingIwillleaverightnowandpretendIdidn'tseeathing!" The alchemist blurted with a scarlet face and ran out the room as fast as she had come.

A few seconds more later…

A "IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK!" was the only thing heard throughout the inn.

------------------------------------------------

"What happened?" Genbu asked at the dining table. He was bewildered as to why all three of his other companions were a bit redder than usual.

Hiroki and Yuresia refused to look at each other, and Irya refused to look at the both of them. So they all looked at him.

"Oh, nothing nothing!" Irya piped up first, quickly wiping her bowl of soup clean with a piece of bread before standing up hastily. "I'm done. I'm going out for a walk!"

"I'm going to…um, stab some things." The sage wiped her mouth and left the table too.

It was only Hiroki and Genbu facing each other.

"Isn't this…kind of sad?" The high priest muttered thoughtfully as he played with some potatoes.

------------------------------------------------

Irya wandered Prontera without a purpose. Usually she would come out with a goal in mind, like sell her potions or buy some rare items. But today it was mainly because she had rushed out on impulse. What happened in the morning still came as a little shock to her. She was not entirely sure of how she felt. Yuresia was her best friend and always has been, but then the high priest came in…and she felt a small pang of jealousy at their closeness after such a short time.

"What is a little princess like you doing out here without your bodyguard?"

The alchemist jumped at the voice, but soon enough, discovered that it was the stalker they had met earlier. He appeared behind her and slipped flawlessly into her pace, sporting an apathetic look in his icy blue eyes, as if he didn't actually care for an answer.

"Well…it's a long story."

"I'm not interested."

"Oh." Irya paused, wondering what she should have said instead. The merchant and thief walked with an awkward silence side-by-side. The girl stole a few glances at her companion, he didn't seem to be looking at her at all, but she couldn't be sure. Then she noticed a glittering blue jewel hanging by a most unexceptional black string on his neck.

"Be careful." Out of nowhere, The Damn Penguin warned the alchemist, earning a few confused blinks from her as her attention was diverted back to him.

"No one is ever who they seem. It was the first lesson I learned as a rogue."

"Thanks…" Irya said, and then she suddenly turned to face him.

"Why are you telling me to be careful? We never told you anything about why we were here…"

"You'd think all the commotion you stirred up at the parade went unnoticed by the eyes of the rogues?" He snorted, indignant that she would think he didn't know everything and anything that went on in Prontera. "But…watch out for that high priest."

"Hiroki?" Irya raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Did you already forget what I told you? I really hate to repeat myself!" He growled. The stalker was many things, but patience was not one of them. "No one is ever who they seem!"

The alchemist frowned at him and opened her mouth, intending to protest that Hiroki had not given them any reason to distrust him. But she became silent when she thought of how he cared...so much…about her sage friend. Unlike her, he could actually do something for Yuresia. There was nothing Irya could do in her power…and with that thought, she suddenly did not feel like standing up for him after all.

"Don't you think…he cares a little too much about your friend?" As if reading her mind, Penguin asked, knowing she would agree with him. A fleeting look of concern also flashed across his face.

"Listen to me, alchemist girl!" When the silver-haired girl did not answer, the stalker said in an almost commanding voice, "You can't trust that high pr-"

"Then I suppose you aren't suspicious yourself?" Irya glared at him, she has had quite enough and wanted to be left alone. "In any case, why don't you talk to Yure yourself about this? She's the one that's so caught up with him!"

"I'm telling you because – " The Damn Penguin paused, his ice-blue eyes shifted sideways, then back onto the girl. "You're the only reliable one out of all of them."

"Me?"

He nodded, looking away from her. "That champion is an idiot, and I won't get through your sage friend's thick stubborn skull."

"Mr. Genbu is a good person." Irya muttered, "Unlike someone who says things behind people's backs."

"I can kill him with my eyes closed."

"That's got nothing to do with what I said…"

"_Anyways_…" The rogue ran a hand exasperatedly through his hair, his one-worded reply embodying his rather blatant desire to not talk about the champion. "I'll send you a message if anything happens."

Then he simply went _poof_, and disappeared right before the alchemist's eyes with a cloud of dust.

------------------------------------------------

Orange light spilled over the brick-red rooftops of Prontera as the sun slowly began to pull its covers of starry night over Rune-Midgard.

Yuresia concentrated hard, green eyes narrowed and feral. With a swift motion, she pulled the Damascus out of its sheath on her left thigh and pierced through the critical weak points of an imaginary body. After one round, she would put the knife back into its leathery case, and repeat the exercise over again.

A few hundred meters from her, on the other side of the Inn, the champion crossed his arms as he interrogated the high priest.

"Where are you going at this time of day?" He asked as Hiroki tried to quietly slip out the back door.

"I'm…going to go find the girls." The God's servant replied without looking at him.

"Then I'll come as well."

"I think you should stay here and wait in case they come back" Hiroki smiled to reassure his friend. Then he said no more as he took out a blue gem and dropped it on the pavement. A white, whirlpool-like magical structure formed and he did not even wait a second before stepping through and disappearing.

------------------------------------------------

The high priest appeared a moment later beside the statue that represented two hands holding together in tribal solidarity. From there he took the only path available, north towards the direction of the castle and the church. Hiroki mumbled a quick blessing that increased his walking speed and soon overtook anyone that was ahead of him.

He did not notice a certain silver-haired alchemist call his name as he brushed past; she stood there, perplexed for a moment while watching his disappearing silhouette. Then she shrugged and continued towards the city square.

When the high priest reached the church, he flung open the doors so hard that it startled all the acolytes who were on cleaning duty that day.

"EVERYONE GET OUT!" He shouted without warning, everyone in the church, including some priests, froze on the spot and stared.

"What's wrong, Master Hiroki?" An acolyte, who belonged to the group that had seen him when he came back to Prontera a few days ago, asked tentatively.

"No time for questions, get out of here!" Hiroki commanded, becoming increasingly agitated as no one made a move, but simply gawked at him as if he was crazy. "Do as I say if you don't want to die!"

"Calm down, Muramasa." A priest on the altar spoke with distaste in his tone, he was the one supervising the cleaning that day, "You're not the boss of this place."

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT WILL HAPPEN?" In the next instant, the high priest was at the altar, grabbing the priest's collar and shaking him violently. Never having seen the usually gentle Hiroki act this way, all the acolytes could do was watch as he continued his assault on the other priest.

"Are you out of your mind?" Cried the person that was being shaken.

As he sputtered out the last syllable, the church doors suddenly slammed shut. But there was no one in the corridor.

_Welcome to my playground, little worms._

Stifling a gasp of shock, the high priest sent out a holy barrier that covered the entire hall before flames erupted from the ground.

------------------------------------------------

Not long after Hiroki had gone, the champion spotted a girl walking up the streets from the square towards the inn, what little light the setting sun still emitted shone through her translucent silver hair, dyeing them a deep orange-red. He breathed a mental sigh of relief and went to meet her.

"Did you see Muramasa?" He asked as the alchemist came close enough to hear him. She nodded.

"I did…but he didn't notice me when I called him…" she then put a knuckle to her chin thoughtfully. "He seemed to be in a hurry."

"Strange…" Genbu's eyebrows knitted together as he mumbled to himself. "I thought he was out looking for you."

Irya studied the champion, wondering whether she should tell him about the stalker's suspicion of the high priest.

Suddenly, a dog's bark made them look up. A matyr was standing before the two. It was a canine of pure darkness. The long, thin body seemed to be made of jagged polygons stuck onto black sticks. It looked more like a demon than an animal with its ribs so prominently jutting out of its side. The dog's unnaturally narrow black eyes were fixed at them, or rather, at the alchemist. Genbu placed himself between it and her in case it was an aggressive monster, but he was proven wrong when it wagged its tail, walked up to them and sat down tamely. It then yawned and scratched itself behind the ears with a hind foot.

"There's something on its neck…" The alchemist observed as she bent down to examine the creature's collar. It panted with pleasure while letting the girl rub its head. There was a roll of parchment attached with a string onto the leather. Irya removed the letter, straightened it and read out loud.

"To alkemist" Scrawled the messy but legible note, "the preest has gone to the chirch."

It was signed at the bottom with a simple "T.D.P.", the alchemist sweatdropped at the juvenile spelling.

Yet his meaning was clear enough. Usually an acolyte messenger would get Hiroki if they needed him, but today no one has come. Knowing Hiroki, Genbu thought it was strange he would go on his own accord, and even more so as Irya described how much of a hurry the high priest was in.

"What's wrong?" A new voice asked.

The two people turned around and saw Yuresia, who had came back from training and spotted the troubled faces of her friends.

"Hiroki…" Irya said carefully, "…something's up with him today."

"We're going to the church." The champion decided, as he also drew out a blue gemstone.

------------------------------------------------

"Why are you doing this?" The high priest shouted to no one in particular as the edges of his magical barrier was engulfed by flames. "I'm here! Let them go! They had nothing to do with it!"

The acolytes were all cowering in fear and holding their heads as destruction reigned around them, protected only by Hiroki's Kyrie Eleison that was quickly thinning as the high priest was losing his "will" because he had to cast one over such a large area.

"WHY? Answer me!"

_Because I despise your kind, all of you._ Vanhugen's thought-voice sneered. _None of you. None of you should have the right to use the magic of time, yet why?_

"What are you talking about !" Hiroki hollered in confusion as he forced his magic reservoir to output more energy to the holy barrier. "You're a deranged, mad, psychopath!"

The priest who was at the altar with Hiroki still had not recovered completely from the shock of so many things happening at once around him. He only regained himself when the high priest nudged him with his foot rather roughly.

"I can't hold on much longer. Take the acolytes and run for it." Hiroki spoke in a voice that demanded total obedience. The other man nodded hesitatingly before scrambling up and running towards the frightened young ones.

_How heroic of you, thinking of others before yourself._ Taunted the disembodied voice of the high wizard. _I must say I am rather enjoying this reunion party._

With his last sentence, a new wave of spells rained down on the high priest's barrier. Hiroki clenched his teeth and held onto his inner source of magic. But even he could feel that his will was slipping away from him, like a person at the edge of a cliff, grabbing on a small branch that was slowly breaking under his weight. His eyes scanned the hall to make sure the priests had taken the acolytes to the inner rooms where they could get out through the windows. However, there were still a few acolytes who were injured or too frightened to move fast enough. Sweat flowed into his brown eyes, stinging them.

"Vanhugen…" suddenly, the high priest grinned sadistically, "you must be at your limit too…because of _that_."

His adversary did not answer.

"Will I fail first? Or will it be your card that drains you of your magic first?"

But in the next instant, Kyrie Eleison flickered under the weight of the wizard's magic like a dying bulb before evaporating into white glitter and nothingness. Hiroki heard Vanhugen's maniacal high laughter in his mind.

_Challenge me?_ It said. _Don't make me laugh!_

Suddenly, his surroundings became very quiet, large area spells had stopped falling on the high priest's head altogether. Then Hiroki realized that a few acolytes were still not out of the hall yet.

_Shit!_ He cursed under his breath. At the same time, a sphere of flames ignited in the air, white-hot and flying directly at the remaining acolytes with terrifying speed, growing larger as it approached.

Deep within the high priest's mind, something geared into place. He felt himself stretch out his spellcasting arm, and his lips moved with the ancient words that commanded the power of the cold. Hiroki struggled to stop himself, but he had been trained to never break off in the middle of a cast, and he was trained well. At the tips of his fingers, the water condensed, and formed into tiny particles of ice.

Crystals into shards, shards into spikes, spikes that built one in front of another rivaling the speed of the fireball.

And it all happened in a split second. The next thing the acolytes knew when they opened their eyes, realizing that they were not charred into ashes, was that an enormous wall made of opaque white ice was in between them and the fire. The air was thick with water vapour and smoke as heat battled against the cold. The ball of flames rolled against the ice, shaving off its layers, melting and boiling the water. But the ice wall still stood even as the fire boulder soon lost its power and burnt out into non-existence.

Hiroki panted with the effort, it had been such a long time since he used something like this. Normally, no wizard's ice wall would stand a chance against a direct flame attack, but the high priest was different…

But even so, that was the last drop in the reservoir. He could do nothing in his state now as he struggled to stay standing. The cancellation of Kyrie Eleison was a trick to make the high wizard think he had run out of mana. In which Vanhugen would attack him directly instead of anyone else. But the plan had failed.

At that time, there was little choice. Hiroki had expended all his magic trying to protect them. And now he could not guarantee his own safety, let alone theirs.

"Hiroki!"

He heard a female voice call to him in the midst of his exhaustion.

"Yu…re?"

The sage appeared in front of him, concern in her green eyes as she first looked at him up and down, and then surveyed the battered church with a melting tower of ice standing in a corner.

"What…happened here?" She asked. He breathed hard, trying to speak, but no sound would come out.

------------------------------------------------

The doors of the church had been bolted shut from the inside. No matter what the girls did, it would not budge.

"Stay back." The champion had said. Then he called upon the five spirit orbs. With a heave, one of them was tossed at the lock. Turning into a pressurized pocket of air, the orb seeped itself into the cracks of the steel and exploded from within, rattling the great doors. But the bolts still held strong.

Upon the third attempt, wood splinters and metal fragments flew as the door was forced open by the occult impactions. Hot air mixed with ash and smoke rushed out from within the building, nearly choking Yuresia as she was the first one to venture inside.

The destruction on the inside was so apparent that they were surprised the whole structure did not fall apart. Walls were charred, the carpet was so burnt that only in some places it remained red, not a single bench in the hall was not affected in some way or another. There was a prominent black streak on the floor that ended at a pool of water with blocks of ice still standing it for some reason. The stained windows were shattered and faint dusk light glowed from the outside. In the midst of it all, stood the high priest on the altar, looking frail and weary, but still very much alive.

"Hiroki!" The sage cried as she rushed to him. Yuresia did not know why the sight of him made her feel so relieved and anxious at the same time.

"What happened here?" She asked.

The high priest looked at her and opened his mouth, but having breathed smoke and ash made his throat unbearably painful, and he broke into an uncontrollable cough. Yuresia rubbed his back, feeling all two layers of his robes soaked with sweat.

Genbu's usually placid eyes suddenly widened with his senses of a fighter. And he shoved Irya behind him. A ring of blue-white light appeared and started to circle around their bodies, illuminating the broken furniture around them. Wisps of colorful smoke entwined themselves in the air and wrapped the two people in their eerie presence. The champion had expanded all his defensive skills. There was another menacing presence in the room.

Unbeknownst to Yuresia, who was still tending to the high priest, a dark form appeared behind her.

Hiroki saw it. He tried to tell her to run, but the lack of oxygen in his body would not permit him to do so. He reached out an arm to grab her and pull her to him, but his hand fell short in vain as she let out a scream and clutched her hair. A gloved hand grabbing at the end of the light blue strands yanked her into the shadow.

The high wizard known as Vanhugen appeared before them, clad in the typical wear of his job. In his right hand was Yuresia's hair as she struggled at the end, trying to free herself from his grasp. He looked young, dirty blonde hair matted on his head and fell into his dark eyes. He would be considered quite good looking if it weren't for the disturbing facial expression, a sneer mingled with the deepest desire for power.

"You must be honoured seeing me in the form of my younger days." As if reading their expressions, the high wizard opened his mouth. His voice was not in the least bit pleasant, perfectly complimenting the noxious gases in the air of the room.

"Van…hu…" Hiroki coughed out in agony, his body would not listen to him as he shook from the effort of just standing.

"My my my, Klironomos. This is quite a déjà vu for me." Vanhugen spoke to the high priest as if he was enthusiastically talking to a small child. "Your state now…it reminds me of someone…ah, that's right!"

He grinned widely, showing jagged teeth.

"Falmoore Findel, the day you killed him!"

Yuresia's mind jolted when she heard her father's name.

_Who? Who killed my father?_

"Klironomos, Hiroki Muramasa, you killed this girl's father!" Vanhugen repeated as he relished in the stunned expression of the high priest, and the fact that the sage had stopped struggling in his grasp. "Yet, now, you look just like him. I'm so very touched."

_Hi-hiroki…killed…dad?_

"_Shut…..up."_

"What's that? I can't hear you—"

"I _said_…" The high priest muttered, voice shaking but clear, "SHUT UP."

The high wizard leaned forward, looking thoughtful for a moment, then said.

"Or else what?"

He jumped aside, laughing as Hiroki tossed a crackling ball of blue thunder in his direction. It hit a wall at the far end of the hall, creating a none-too-small explosion; clumps of debris fell from the roof.

"You should know better than that!" Vanhugen remarked gleefully, "You will never hurt me with magic, but you can blow this girl into a million tiny pieces if you do that again. Or you can destroy this building and you all die, including your little friends over there. So pick your favourite, eh?"

"Kliro, Kliro, Kliro." He then chanted like a small child when all the high priest could do was look at him with utmost hatred, "You would never have thought that this day would come, no? All that magic power bestowed upon you at birth could do nothing for you. This is what I enjoy, reigning above you, one the Heir of the Foundations!"

"So…that was your goal…" Hiroki spat, eyes bloodshot with anger, "You were so terrified of me you went to such lengths to gain _that_. If…if I were not under your control, I could have easily killed you too!"

"Dear old Falmoore put up a good fight, did he not?"

"Shut up! She doesn't need to know!"

"I DON'T NEED TO KNOW?" For the first time, Yuresia blurted out, there were tears at the corner of her eyes. But as she glared at Hiroki, he could feel something break inside him. It was neither a look of fury nor loathing, but deep disappointment.

"Why…WHY? WHY WERE YOU WITH HIM? Why…didn't you tell me you knew him? Why did you talk to me? Why?"

"Yure…" Was all the high priest could say.

Directly across from the altar, all Genbu and Irya could do was stare as the shocking details of the past were revealed.

"I hate to break up this scrumptious little party." Vanhugen dawdled, and tugged the hair he held, earning a yelp from the sage. "But as this card is such a demanding mistress, I must…how should I say…feed a little."

Then he spun the blue-haired girl around and seized her chin roughly. Without warning, his head moved closer to hers, he felt her fear and uncertainty in his grasp and saw it in her eyes. He was thoroughly pleased as he opened his mouth.

And kissed her.

All the people in the church hall were dumbfounded. All they could do was watch and not move a muscle. It was as if time froze at that instant.

Then, the sage's body began to convulse uncontrollably. Yuresia tried to scream and push the wizard away, but her limbs and windpipe felt like they were being twisted into unimaginable shapes and angles, and every inch of her skin was tightening by the second, trying to strangle her alive. She could not breathe, but instead, found that her breath was being sucked out of her, that her lungs were collapsing and all the blood in her body was flowing towards her mouth. She could not feel the beat of her own heart. All she could notice with her tortured conscious was that her enemy's lips were covering hers, taking both her life and magic energy.

"YURE!" Irya was the first to scream in shock as she realised it was Vanhugen's kiss that was causing her friend to spasm like a flailing fish on land. "DO SOMETHING GENBU DO SOMETHING!" She begged the champion and pounded on his chest. He shook his head in dismay; all he could do to the wizard would affect Yuresia as well, and might even kill her in that state.

Hiroki stood and stared, his mind transfixed by the horrible sight in front of him.

Before the party knew it, it was over. Vanhugen disconnected from the sage and flung her down like a rag doll, licking his lips in satisfaction.

The sage's long, light blue hair flowed over the steps as she lay lifelessly on the floor of the altar. A few white feathers fell to the ground.

------------------------------------------------

A/N: Hahaha I left at a cliffhanger! I promise the next chapter would be up soon if you review kekekeke.

Hope you enjoyed that chapter, it was looooong :D

**Game References:**

Napalm Beat – white boiling ball of magic thing that killed Falmoore

Chasewalk/Stalk/Stealth – Stalker skill, disappearing in a cloud of dust

Agility Up – Increases walking speed and AGI stat.

Kyrie Eleison – Barrier that blocks attacks, ok, so I know it's only physical attacks, but I really think there ought to be one for magic too.

Fire Pillar/Fire Ball/Fire Wall – Fire magic

Ice Wall – Just as described in the fic, a wall made of ice

Occult Impaction – The higher the defence, the more this hurts. Pressurized air exploding through something hard was the only way I can think of to make this work.

Jupitel Thunder – Hiroki tossed this at Vanhugen, a powerful lightning target spell.

Soul Drain – The kiss har har, whenever a high wiz kills a monster, he regains some of the sp used to kill it. I'm just taking it a level higher.

GTB Card – Another effect is that it doubles sp usage –nods-


	8. Doubt and Answers

**Scene VI – Doubt and Answers**

_Where…am I?_

_Am I…dead?_

_I'm sorry, Dad, Mom, I failed you._

_I trusted someone I shouldn't have._

_I've let everyone down._

_But…is it alright to let me rest?_

She stood in a white world. There was an endless stretch of nothingness in front of her, almost artificial. Water lapped at her bare feet, she felt detached from her surroundings. Her mind was unusually peaceful in light of what had just happened, as if nothing mattered to her anymore, even if she might never wake up.

She had heard people say to never walk towards the light if you were nearly dead, but there was no light, or there was a lot of it. She couldn't tell.

She sat herself down in the water, tucked her legs close to her and curled her arms around them. Then she waited.

------------------------------------------------

Hiroki was the first person to recover from the shock.

"Yu-YURE!" He cried out and reached for her, who was lying with half her body hanging over the steps, deathly still. He touched her skin but it made him shiver from the pit of his stomach. The high priest quickly gathered her up in his arms in hopes of warming her up, but all that served to do was make him tremble from the sheer cold in her lifeless body. He brushed away the tangled strands of hair to look at her face, the sage's skin was ashen and her lips were blue. Her green eyes were half-open, staring blankly. A pale green glow emanated from his palms. He rubbed the girl's forehead, but she showed no response to the touch. There were tear stains on the side of her cheeks. It would have comforted him if her eyes were closed and looked as though she was sleeping, instead of…dead.

"What…what did you do to her?" Hiroki asked in a small, vulnerable voice. He knew very well what had happened, even though deep in his mind he refused to acknowledge it.

Vanhugen did not answer, but sustained a satisfied grin on his face as he watched the high priest examine the sage cradled close to him, a look of the purest horror and disbelief on his face. This was what he had wanted to accomplish by soul draining the girl. This was the ultimate punishment for Klironomos, who had dared to disobey him.

"You…YOU MONSTER!"

A girl's voice screamed suddenly, the champion at her side jumped, not expecting the usually gentle alchemist to have this kind reaction.

"YOU'VE KILLED HER PARENTS AND NOW YOU KILLED HER TOO!" Irya continued to voice her pain and outrage as tears were streaming down her cheeks. "YOU FILTHY BEAST, YOU WRETCHED FIEND…YOU…YOU…!"

"I'm afraid you didn't hear me right the first time, little girl." Vanhugen checked his fingernails nonchalantly and dawdled, not in the least affected by the nasty words thrown at him. "_I _wasn't the one who killed her parents."

He smiled wickedly then, the corners of his mouth turned into a sharp crescent, showing too many teeth and looking her way for the first time.

Irya sucked in her breath as she remembered the revelations in the past few minutes. She slowly turned her head to look towards the high priest. That was right; he was the one who had killed her father and rendered her an orphan. Penguin had spoken the horrible truth. She only wished that she had taken the slightest more heed of the stalker's words.

"…we shouldn't have trusted you…" The alchemist whispered, but Hiroki heard her every word. Inside, he felt as if something had been ripped apart and was bleeding profusely. It had been such a long time since he had been spoken to with words synonymous to those…but they still hurt like hell.

_No…not back to…that time…_

"Irya…I…" He tried to explain, but no coherent words would form in his scattered mind.

"If we hadn't met you, none of this would have happened!" The alchemist lamented, clutching her silver strands, completely oblivious of the impact of her words on Hiroki. "What are you trying to do by not telling Yure the truth?"

The high priest's hands tightened on the sage's shoulders as he shifted his eyes away from the alchemist, biting his lower lip.

Irya had rarely lost her temper in the past, but that was the last straw, and she snapped. Yure was dead, and he was undeniably one of the underlying causes of all this tragedy. She felt her eyes growing hot as the adrenalin surged through her body.

"GET AWAY FROM HER! SHE TRUSTED YOU BUT YOU LIED TO HER RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING!" The silver-haired girl could hardly control her outburst as she took a few steps forward, "I SWEAR I'LL MAKE YOU PAY! I'LL MAKE THE BOTH OF YOU PAY! HEY LET GO OF ME-"

The champion beside her had grabbed her wrist to stop the alchemist from going any closer to the end of the church. She returned his action with a ferocious glare, but he was not looking down at her.

"Muramasa," Genbu said as he stared straight ahead, his tone placid but firm, "We want an explanation for all of this, or I might have to rethink our status as friends."

Hiroki's head was turned away from them; his black straight hair hid his eyes from view. The tips of his fingers were digging into the sage muffler. Tiny ice crystals formed and clung to the fabric.

"My, my." Vanhugen looked as if he was having fun as the painful drama unfolded before him. He loved every moment of the torture of the soul. "Klironomos, you should have known that some things will never change in this world."

"No matter how hard you try," The high wizard continued, driving the thorns deeper into the flesh, "There is no place in this world for you. Did you not come to my side because we both hated humanity?"

It was a past Hiroki did not want to think about, memories that were pushed behind thoughts and hidden from view. A past he left behind the day he was recruited under Vanhugen's wing…

-------------------------------------------------

"_Ba-back off! Don't come near me!" A boy cried, covering his face with both arms, fearing to look up and meet my eyes._

"_W-what the hell are you?" Another boy pointed at me with a shaking finger._

"_Mama! He…he just burned down that house! I swear! I don't know how but he did it!"_

_I looked towards the burning building, like a ravenous beast, the fire devoured every inch of the wooden house, perfectly mimicking the flames of anger in me._

_He deserved it. Kyosuke and his gang would beat me for their amusement…The adults never stood up for me, because I am not a normal boy. I was inhuman, in their eyes._

_I can feel anger and frustration…anger is like fire, and fire has come to aid me._

"_Get away from our children!" A woman held the boy who was telling on me. I hated her. She always gave me the dirtiest looks._

"_Get out! You monster!" A man was holding an axe, he was talking to me._

"_There is no place for you in this village!" A few people cried in unison. I bet they were just looking for the right time to say that to me._

_Me. I am…Hiroki Muramasa. I don't know why, but I know that is my name._

_But…why do I exist?_

_I…I…don't know anymore._

_What am I?_

_What am I doing?_

_I remember staggering through the cherry blossom forest of Amatsu. The branches were empty at that time, only gnarled, black sticks. Gnarled, black sticks were all that was left of the place I once dwelled, but did not call home._

_I…hate this world._

"_If you hate this world, come to my side, child." I heard that voice, and saw a tall, cloaked figure. It was all that I saw as my vision was blurred by exhaustion._

"_Who are you?"_

"_Your last and only hope..."_

-------------------------------------------------

Vanhugen grinned as he noticed the frost forming on the sage where the high priest was holding her. It seemed that triggering the memory of his past had been the right thing to do. His former disciple was slipping down the slope, riding on the very same conscious that had made him so easy to control in the past. The high wizard could almost rub his hands in glee, but he would have to press on, as everything was just a little push away from the long, long drop.

Hiroki felt cold. But he did not feel through his skin, but with his heart. It was the type of cold that made all people before him appear as small insects he could squish with his shoe. It was the type of cold that told him to do exactly that without a second thought. It was also something he had not felt in a very long time. The high priest felt a stinging feeling at the tip of his fingers as a tiny icicle drove into his skin. His blank, brown eyes moved lazily to examine his finger, but instead they met the sage's face once more.

That face… it reminded him of something.

-------------------------------------------------

"_Hiroki…that's a nice name. Better than that really long one he calls you." The lady with glasses said, she had smiled and sat down next to me at the practice rooms in the Academy. I don't know why I was compelled to tell her the name I had not used for over a year, but it slipped out of my mouth, as if it was waiting all this time just at the tip of my tongue._

"_You're not…afraid of me?" I asked her tentatively. Other mages, even wizards, shirk like rats seeing a cat when I walk along the corridors. I was used to it; I could care less if they crawled onto the ceilings. But it surprised me that this lady would actually talk to me on her own accord._

"_Why should I be?" She replied with a question I did not know how to answer._

"_I don't know…everyone is."_

"_That's strange…you're such a kind, gentle boy." She smiled at me. Where did she get that idea?_

"_I don't know…"_

"_You will become a first-class wizard someday. I only wish Fal had a student like you." I know I was going to become powerful. But it actually felt…nice when she told me._

"…_you think?"_

"_I sure do!"_

_This lady became known to me as the wife of one of my teacher's colleagues. She would visit her husband nearly everyday, also seeing me in the practice rooms afterwards. Soon, I began to anticipate her arrival, sometimes with some snacks, sometimes with gossip that we can both laugh at. I would show her my skills in magic, and she would pat my head, pride in her emerald eyes. Weeks passed, then months._

"_Hiroki?" _

"_Yes, Mrs. Findel?" I looked up from a book, yet again all alone in the classroom._

"_You look all worn out. Why can't that teacher of yours ever realize you're just a child?" She scolded and came over to me._

"_I don't know…is that…good?"_

"_Of course not! Children your age should play in the woods, catch fish by the lake, and roll on the grass. Not crouched in a study room all day long!" She exclaimed._

"_I don't know how to do those things…" I really did not. Or maybe I have forgotten how to laugh by myself._

"_Odin! Hiroki, come with me right now!" She grabbed my hand and pulled me from my chair._

"_Eh? EH? Mrs. Findel, don't walk so fast…"_

"_Don't look at my huge belly, I can still beat you at climbing hills!…probably." She patted her swollen middle and giggled like a girl._

_She only lived for five more years after that._

"_Hiroki! HIROKI! Answer me? Why?" The lady yelled at me through the thundering currents of the Geffen River that night._

"_Why are you doing this? You're better than this!" She clutched what seemed like a child in her arms, her piercing green eyes looking not at my teacher, not at his assistants, but at me._

"_Why are you letting him control you like that?"_

"_You have feelings, you're human! You're not some toy!"_

"_Wake up, Hiroki!" She begged me. I was watching her, yet not seeing. My mind was a page of parchment scribbled with the trails of a broken pencil._

"…_I guess, this is farewell." I heard her say as she took a step back, a step towards the water._

"_I trust you. I trust you will be free someday!"_

"_Hiroki…listen to me, please?" Her voice became gentle as a little smile floated onto her lips._

"_Take care of Yure." She whispered to me, me only._

"_I trust you."_

"_Don't forget us."_

_Then, there was only the edge of the bridge, and water._

-------------------------------------------------

"Rennalyn Findel…" Hiroki muttered, there was a strange twinge in his nose that he hadn't experienced in years. He did not know why he still remembered that name, but remembering it made his heart back away from the deep, cold abyss that he had fallen into a long, long time ago. It was a name that brought indescribable warmth. He did not know what it was called…because perhaps…it was something he had never had in his life. The high priest looked down at the sage. The similarity was all too prominent. He had failed to save her mother before…and now he had let her befall to Vanhugen's Soul Drain. He was not about to walk down that path again.

"That woman…she poisoned your mind, boy!" Vanhugen sneered at the name, "She was the abomination that made you into the imperfection you are today!"

That was right, reminisced the high priest, to the power-hungry Vanhugen, that was what he would think. It was after Yuresia's mother's death that the high wizard's controlling grasp on him had started to break down. He no longer wanted to be a wizard, a machine used to destroy. The magic flowing from him, no matter how spectacular, were sins in his eyes. He felt he was slowly being driven into insanity by the sheer power embodied within him, power that he did not want to acknowledge or use anymore. Why am I different? Why am I gifted with something I don't want? Why am I here? What am I?

"I have all the answers you need, if only you would come back to me." Vanhugen restated his proposal, holding out a hand adorned with yellow fingernails. Hiroki gazed lazily at the hand, then up at the high wizard.

"No." The servant of God replied with renewed strength. "I would rather live in eternal ignorance than become your string puppet again!"

"Oh dear Klironomos, don't make me use…forceful persuasion." The standing high wizard shook his head as if he was facing a naughty child that needed to be disciplined. The high priest looked up at him indignantly as Vanhugen formed a lightning ball and bounced it in one hand, its blue-green strokes made cracking sounds as the electricity built up inside the ball.

"This won't kill you, but it sure will kill your little girlfriend if she isn't already dead!" He laughed as if he was having fun with that thought, but his face dropped to a sneer when he saw that Hiroki was not in the least frightened by his morbid suggestion. Without another word, the wizard tossed Jupitel Thunder at his former disciple. The spell was a fast and merciless one, often cooking the receiving end from inside out.

Hiroki's mind whirred into motion. Swiftly reaching out his left hand, with the right still holding Yuresia, he commanded water to solidify. The ice formed in the shape of a dish in his outstretched palm, the insides as smooth as a mirror. The ball of thunder hit the ice and bounced off as if it was made of rubber, heading straight back towards its creator. Vanhugen was surprised for an instant before he smirked as lightning whipped his body.

"Very good, very good." He gave a half-hearted compliment, "But ice won't protect you against fir—AAARRGH!"

The high wizard suddenly screamed, holding his left arm against his chest, his features twisted into a disturbing mix of pain and abhorrence.

"TAKE THAT!"

Irya had snuck up to the trio when they had been immersed recollections of the past, and landed a successful bottle of acid on Vanhugen's arm. The corrosive liquid made fizzing sounds as it ate through the cloth and into skin and flesh.

"Magic doesn't hurt you, doesn't mean you're invincible!" She announced fearlessly, much to the astonishment of the two other men in the room.

"Do you know…what you have just done?" Vanhugen hissed like a cobra provoked by a mouse.

"You have just given up your privilege to live a little longer today." He answered his own question as Irya was frozen to the spot, surprised that he did not spend more time tending to the arm, which should be excruciatingly painful.

Without warning, he summoned five transparent grey torpedoes that screeched as they raced through the air. As Irya held her head in reflex, she heard explosions from above instead of feeling the ancient spirits bludgeon her as she had expected. She looked up, the Soul Strike missed?

Genbu has both his arms together and outstretched, he had tossed the spirit spheres that usually surrounded him at the high wizard. Vanhugen had countered each and every one of them with a soul. Not wasting even a moment to think, he took two large strides across the hall and pulled the alchemist behind him. It was then that he realized that he was right in front of the high wizard. There was nowhere to hide.

"You two are just asking for it, aren't you?" The blonde man spoke in a dangerously soft voice, as the air around him heated up and began to distort his figure.

"Run!" Hiroki cried, disregarding the rasp in his voice. At this distance, even his ice wall would not save his friends. "RUN!"

Not only was air visible, but it was visibly turning orange-red. Then, the hot gas stopped flowing upwards, but started to spin and collect into a ball in front of the wizard. As it rolled, it became larger. But in real time, this happened in an instant so fast; even Genbu was glued to the floor, not knowing how to react and which way to duck towards. The swirling flames were almost mesmerizing. Magic was often both beautiful and deadly.

Just as the singeing ball of flames was about to collide with the champion's body and burn both him and the alchemist to a crisp, a volley of water shot from their right side, hitting the ball of fire square on. Like a serpentine beast devouring the sun, the water hissed against the fire, again filling the hall with a thick fog of water vapour. The flames were doused almost instantly. Genbu covered his nose and mouth to ward against the musky air as his vision was clouded with white. What in the world just happened?

In the mist, a gloved hand reached out and grabbed his wrist, his muscles tightened for a second before realizing, whoever the hand belonged to, it did not want to cause him any harm. The owner apparently wanted him to follow as the fingers tugged urgently on his forearm. He reached behind him to take Irya's hand in his own before letting the mysterious person guide them through the fog.

Hiroki coughed as vapour filled the hall again with its opaque presence. He too, was confused as to what had just happened. The torrent of water that came out of nowhere was certainly not his doing. Then he felt someone grab hold of his upper arm.

"Get up." A female voice commanded, "Follow me, there isn't much time."

Hiroki looked to where his limb was being held, there was a brown gloved hand. A large button in the shape of an eye was sported prominently on the earth-coloured silk. Without giving it much thought, he picked up Yuresia, who was still limp and cold in his arms. The mist shifted around their bodies, disturbed by the movement, and separated, revealing a woman garbed in the clothes of a high wizard. She looked to be no older than in her mid-twenties, and she had sharp, intelligent violet irises that seemed to see through much more than her young appearance would suggest. Pale, shoulder-length blonde hair was pinned to the side of her forehead with a moon-shaped clip.

"Hey…you're…" Hiroki thought he had seen her somewhere as he narrowed his eyes to get a better look.

"There is no time!" She interrupted, her violet eyes flashing as she dragged them with an unusual force for a dainty lady. The high priest asked no more as he followed, the sage weighing down on his arms as well as his heart.

"_She's not dead yet."_

"Sorry, did you say something?" Hiroki asked the high wizard in front of him. She looked back at him and shook her head.

"No. Hurry up. He won't be distracted for long."

Hiroki turned his head towards the direction they had come from. They were already walking through what seemed like the corridor to the main hall. Water vapour trapped by the building still clouded everything from view. He thought he saw the pallid yellow robes of an acolyte darting in and out of the fog, but he was not sure.

"She's not dead yet." The voice of a child, ringing in his ears like a brittle bell, it disappeared as suddenly as it had come. His head jerked in all directions, looking for the source of the voice.

"W-wait, what do you mean?" Hiroki stopped momentarily, asking the humid air. The form of a young male acolyte appeared for an instant before vanishing into the mist like a shy animal.

"Hurry!" The woman in front of him snapped, he then lurched and stumbled forward with a sudden tug on his arm. Before the high priest knew it, they were out through the gates. Fresh, night air blew against his dirt-matted face and cleared his throat. He looked back at the church that was in shambles, there was not a single person in sight.

Still perplexed, he had not noticed that three people came up behind him. In the lead was a young sage, his eyes darkened by long, scarlet bangs. Behind him were Genbu and Irya, the champion still had the alchemist's hand tightly in his grasp.

"Thank you, September." The high wizard who had led Hiroki out greeted the red-haired sage. He only nodded solemnly but did not say anything.

"Umm…" Irya spoke timidly, "May I ask…?"

"Oh, sorry." The brown cape flew as the woman whirled around to face them, "We haven't introduced ourselves, have we?"

"I am Lieutenant Myer," She placed a gloved hand above her breasts, then she gestured towards the sage, who bowed slightly, "and this is my assistant, September. He and I created the water that saved you."

"Ah!" Irya cried, covering her mouth as she realized something, "you…you were that other court wizard we saw in the parade!"

"Indeed," The woman named Myer smiled with pride and gave a little wink, "But that is only my day job, you see."

"What do you mean?" Genbu asked.

"Tonight," The high wizard said with a twinkle in her dark eyes, as if she knew of some delightful secrets she wanted to share, "I greet you all, as Safira Lazuli Myer, of AYUS."

"Ah…yoos?" The high priest repeated, catching the attention of the high wizard as she turned to face him squarely.

"I am especially honoured to meet you, 'Heir of the Foundations'." She said with a bow of utmost respect.

There was silence for exactly five seconds as Hiroki contemplated this phrase with a stunned expression on his face.

A "How…?" was all he managed to pronounce after the gap in the conversation.

"I will explain later," The high wizard promptly sent a few sparks into the sky with a click of her fingers. Almost immediately, a high priestess materialized at her side.

"Junee, warp please." Safira ordered crisply, the high priestess nodded and dropped a blue gemstone onto the pavement, as if she had already anticipated the request,

When the white warp portal appeared before the party and their new acquaintances, Lieutenant Myer and her subordinates ushered them in before stepping through themselves. The all-too familiar feeling of travel by portal enveloped the high priest. There were numerous questions swimming in his mind, and more were spawning like mushrooms after a rainy day. How did this woman know of the Heirs? How did she know it was him? What is this Ah-Yoos? And furthermore…the most head-splitting question that kept floating above all…who was it that told him Yuresia was alive? And…is she really?

The warp lasted for over a few seconds, they must have been traveling great distances for the duration to be so long. But when Hiroki finally arrived at the destination, it was all he could do not to drop the sage he was carrying in his arms.

He could not tell where he was, but it was a big, no, enormous place. Even larger than the church they had been in. It was neither a building nor a cave, as the structure suggested. There was nothing particularly special about the large hall itself, but something in the center of it all. A giant crystal sat with its tip almost reaching the ceiling. Every facet of its crystal branches was flashing in different and ever-changing colours. It made the high priest dizzy. As if sensing the party's discomfort, Safira did not bother introducing the centerpiece as she turned and led them towards an arch-shaped door at the side of the hall. The door gave way to a dark corridor, where the only light were the enigmatic glow of crystals embedded in the wall.

"You'll get used to it." said the high wizard for the first time after arriving at the overtly crystal-indulged palace, as if everything was as mundane as a typical house.

"What…was that?" Irya piped up as curiosity got the better of her.

"What? You mean 'Reader'?"

"Is that what you call large minerals now?"

Safira chuckled as she led them on through the seemingly endless hallway.

"'Reader' is the reason we know about 'Heir of the Foundations'." She replied mysteriously.

"If it's possible, I'd like to get an explanation about all this." Hiroki added, his voice weary. He then deliberately bumped the sage a little in his arms. "And…can any of you help her?"

The high wizard took a look at the blue-haired girl, whose complexion had not improved the slightest since her magic and life was sucked out of her.

"She was soul drained, right?"

"How did you know?"

Safira tapped her cheek and smiled, "I may look young, but I've seen my fair share of abused magic."

"So…can you help her?" Hiroki persisted.

"We can…but it will take time. And although she looks that way, she is not dead."

"WHAT?" Irya cried out loud.

"She. Isn't. Dead." Safira pronounced her words clearly to the shocked alchemist, who was darting looks back and forth between the unconscious sage and the wizard. Then she started to move again, and the visitors followed.

"But…how? I thought that was how dead people look…like." The alchemist mumbled as she trudged along.

"Ah…everything needs explaining, so much explaining." The high wizard chanted as she suddenly stopped, the three people behind her also halted clumsily to avoid bumping into each other. She turned towards the wall and tapped one of the crystals that were fixed into a brick. The wall gave way to an opening, which led to a small room. The room had two beds and a table in the middle, surrounded by a few chairs. And everything was of course illuminated by crystals.

Hiroki laid the sage down on one of the beds and brushed the stray strands out her face. He then sat on one of the chairs as the rest of his companions also followed suit.

"Well then, where should we start?" Safira clapped her hands together merrily as she took the remaining seat. "There is so much I want to tell you, but feel free to ask me anything!"

The three guests looked at each other, not knowing what to ask first.

"Well… first, welcome to the headquarters of AYUS." The high wizard began, "It was a good thing we got there in the nick of the time."

"I just want to know…how you can help her." Hiroki pointed to Yuresia, still lying like a corpse.

"She will be alright for the moment, I assure you." Safira replied confidently. "However, I feel that there really is a need for me to explain to you why you are here…"

-------------------------------------------------

"AYUS is a top secret organization that monitors and studies magical phenomenon of the world. 'Reader' is the reason why we are capable of observing things…_outside_…the common boundaries of magic."

"Magic is not what you think. Fire, water, lightning, earth, spirit, dark, holy, they are only what are present in this natural world. We are able to see the magic in the fiber of the world. Apart from the seven I have mentioned, there are others that boil down to three fundamental…properties. These are different as they are not to be wielded freely by any magic practitioner. They are the properties time, space, and life."

"Which brings us upon the topic of the "Heir of the Foundations'. Foundations are the name given to sources of magic scattered in the world. There are only two that we know of. But the Foundations themselves offer no clue as to which person is their 'Heir'. 'Heirs' are people who are different from the moment they are born. They are blessed with incredible magic talents that are only realized in stages of growth. The first level is an unusual affinity to magic, whether it is incredibly high magic potential, or the capacity of mind to store magic. The second stage…we still do not know. We speculate that they have the power to control the three properties we have mentioned before.

"Time…space…and life?" Hiroki repeated, arching his eyebrows.

"Yes, precisely. Which is why we study them avidly. And which is why you are here." The high wizard's eyes twinkled again as she studied him.

"Huh?"

"We AYUS are dedicated to the protection of the Heirs, even if we are not entirely sure what role they play in the magical world."

"So…why do we exist?"

"That…we can't answer. But we have found out that the source you are connected to is Geffen. Your first level ability is magic power…trust me when I say no one in the world can rival you in terms of that, as 'Reader' has told us. You are unparalleled!…in that area, that is." Safira expressed emphatically, but to the contrary. Hiroki looked downcast.

"Except against that card…I can't do anything." He balled his fists on the table, brows furrowed.

"Yes…Vanhugen was certainly an anomaly in our studies, and we have followed him for the past two years. We do not know what he is up to, nor can we ever find him when we want to because that card interrupts with the 'Reader'." The host explained, "Today was a gamble, and in the end, we chose to secure you and your friends rather than going after him."

Hiroki nodded as if he understood, but there was no telling if he really did. The three guests were silent for a while before Irya's curiosity piqued again.

"You mentioned two Foundations before. But there are three properties, what happened to the third Foundation?"

"The third Foundation is a mysterious one." The crescent on the wizard's hair glistened in the crystal light. "It's a difficult research, but so far, we only know of him as one of the Heirs, and two Foundations. Nearly nothing is known about the third Heir and Foundation, and we are currently tracking down the second Heir."

"So there are…others like me?" The high priest spoke up. This was certainly something he had not expected to hear.

"There is at least one, we are sure. But we don't know who he or she is…" Safira gave a little confident smile before adding her final word, "…yet."

-------------------------------------------------

**A/N:** Version 2. I really should make up my damn mind sometimes.  
Visit my profile for some new doodles of the characters! Of course, all I ask is a review in return. I mean, this story is still getting hits all the time, give the author a pat on the back if you like it, eh?

**Game references:**

Acid Terror – Alchemist skill, attack with an acid bottle, can break armour

Throw Spirit Sphere – Monk/Champion skill, throw the spirit spheres collected around the body at a target

Deluge + Waterball – Sage/wizard combo, deluge on the ground and wizards can use it to cast waterball, the most powerful single-target spell.


	9. Her Awakening

Anonymous: Thanks for your review! Actually, this chapter is less angsty, because I got bored of all that seriousness, there will be plenty of opportunities for angst/action later on!

**Scene VII – Her Awakening**

Safira left her guests to themselves after explaining what she could. What time was it now? There was no telling in the dark caverns of the headquarters. And hell, did her shoulder muscles ache.

It would be chaos in the morning, with the church in that state, and Vanhugen gone again after all that had happened. She had been keeping as close a watch on him as she could without giving herself away, but all that had now become moot. He probably didn't remember her anyhow…it had been over a decade, and the treacherous wizard was never one to care about things that did not concern him directly.

_He'll get what's coming to him._ She thought. _ I'll make sure of that…_

-----------------------------------------------------------

The high priest couldn't sleep, even though the rest of his companions have given into their bodily needs after such a long day. He was still unused to the perpetual dim lighting of this place. Warp Portal wouldn't activate so he had no way of checking the time of day. But it wasn't as if anything as peripheral as that mattered at this moment. To be completely honest, learning about what he really was did not leave much of a weight on his mind, not as much as what the person he is currently sitting beside did…

Do people…dream in that state? The wizard girl had said she would be fine, but the more he sat there looking down at the empty shell of a person, the more he thought it was ridiculous to leave her like that. He fished a gemstone from the inner pocket of his robes. There was at least this one more thing to try…

The blue gem morphed into a globe of light in his hands, gently, he pressed the shimmering bundle into her body. The light spread over her skin like water, finally ending at her extremities. The stone was depleted, but nothing more happened. Yuresia remained lifeless. Hiroki slapped a hand to his forehead, fingertips digging into the tresses of his messy hair.

"Why…" He muttered, his eyes squinting tightly against his palm.

_Why do I feel so…helpless?_

What had Vanhugen done to her?

He…kissed her, if that was a word appropriate for an action that sucked the souls out of people.

The high priest wondered if there was a way to reverse the process. If a soul could be sucked out through the mouth, could it be put back…through the same way? Hiroki blushed slightly at the thought. It wasn't…as if it meant anything, if that was the way to save her, he would definitely do it.

He was the one who got her into this…after all. Her face had suddenly seemed much closer, or was he leaning towards her unconsciously? The air was cold around the sage, and he could feel it even before he touched her.

His head moved downwards, closer to hers, then stopped.

The seconds ticked by, nothing happened. Hiroki sighed and prepared to lift himself up.

Suddenly, there was a tug on his breath. His lungs collapsed and the blood in his body flowed against their natural motion agonizingly. The magical energy was bleeding from him like water from a collapsed damn. Hiroki panicked, he hadn't expected this to happen! Yuresia…Yuresia was…soul draining…him?

Not quite, she wasn't viciously drawing on his life energy. It was as if…she was _exchanging_ her own for his… He clenched his fist in defiance against the pain.

If this would save her, he'd do it. If this would save her, he'd do it…

The high priest mopped his brow after he broke away from Yuresia finally. It had seemed like an ordeal, and he felt weak. He looked down at the sage, she was breathing slowly, the heat had returned to her body. She was sleeping, for real, this time. Hiroki smiled a little to himself. He would be hollering if he wasn't so weary from giving her all his mana. With a satisfied sigh, he folded his arms on her bedside, and was asleep the moment he closed his eyes.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Hiroki rubbed his eyes as he got up. His arms felt numb. It was lighter in the room than he had remembered; the crystals' glow was more intense, almost as if they synchronized with sunlight.

"You're awake." Said a voice from nearby, what made him feel a bit uncomfortable hearing it was the very apparent indifference permeating the air. The high priest glanced around and saw Irya sitting at the table, not looking at him. Genbu was nowhere to be seen.

He didn't answer, she was probably still grudging against him. The sage lying in front was still sleeping deeply, the rise and fall of her chest was steady and slow. Her skin was no longer deathly pale as the faintest shade of pink was upon her cheekbones.

"Good morning." Another voice came from the door, a sage with blood-red hair appeared soundlessly. Both Irya and Hiroki jumped a little.

"G-good morning." The alchemist tentatively returned the greeting, recalling that she had met him the day before. "You're September…right?"

The male sage nodded. "I was told to help the girl."

"Last night…" The high priest muttered, but refrained from talking any more. It would seem like he was taking advantage of Yuresia if he got into the details, and he wasn't sure if the alchemist would let him walk out unscathed. Acid bottles…hmph.

September already stood at the edge of the bed (he walked like a cat, as Hiroki and Irya noted), looking down at the form of the sleeping sage. His brows furrowed, as if he was confused, but only slightly.

"Last night?" The red-haired sage repeated, not exactly expecting an answer. His perceptions were sharp enough, one look at the high priest already told half the story.

"Looks like there will be no need for my assistance." September turned, without a sound, of course. His robes swept in a large arc on the floor. "You cured her already, didn't you?"

If by 'cure', that sage meant the same method as what Hiroki had performed last night…the high priest would have rather himself do the honours. He was secretly relieved he had thought to try.

"She must be someone important to you, for you attempt such a thing." The AYUS sage's wispy voice floated from the hallway. "Soul Exhale is not to be taken lightly, I hope you understand."

Irya watched the exchange with an incredulous expression. She didn't really understand but, Hiroki…cured Yure? From September's tone, it seemed like what he did was something dangerous, too. Hiroki looked so exhausted, yet he was still standing by her friend's side so firmly. The alchemist's expression softened. Perhaps it was not in her right to judge him so harshly…

"Mmmphmmm….mrrmmm…"

The sage on the bed murmured something unintelligible. Her closed eyes furrowed and relaxed momentarily. Both people in the room tensed. The high priest gulped, and raised a hand…

"Mrrah…rrr"

Hiroki didn't know what he was doing when he poked her on the cheek. Maybe he thought it was a way to wake someone up without being completely intrusive. The alchemist jumped as if she had been stung by a bee.

"I need to go out a bit! You know, girl things…" She announced in a forced high pitched voice, hands wringing the large, ribbed belt that she wore as she ran out of the room.

_Wow, she must be desperate…_ Hiroki noted silently. But there were more important matters at hand; he needed to wake her up, to tell her the truth…

"Yure, Yure…!" He shook the sage gently by the shoulders.

Her eyes flew opened wide, and she sat up suddenly. He nearly fell back in utter shock.

The high priest swore he could have held her and –maybe- cried with happiness at that moment. She was alive! She was awake! She was…

Glaring around her like a falcon that had a particularly bad encounter with the weather. Then the sage's piercing leer fell on the high priest, he retracted back a bit, unexpectedly cautious, she looked almost feral.

"YOU, SIR!" She jabbed a finger in his direction.

"W-what?" The man jumped. She seemed completely unaware that she had been nearly dead for a day.

"I may be a devastatingly attractive dancer, but I don't do sexual favours!"

"E-excuse me?" He suspected that she must be having a slight identity crisis.

"However! You may kiss my toes and be eternally grateful!"

"K-k-what?"

'Slight' was an understatement, he concluded.

"Oh-- are you the type that enjoys the whipping?"

"The…the _whipping_?"

"So you want me to ------ your ------ after all! You men are all scum! SCUM! Out with you! Gyaah!"

Then the sage threw the pillow at him. Hiroki dodged narrowly before hopping to his feet and backing away from the bed. If this was a joke, it was a very bad one and he wasn't laughing.

"Of course it is appalling that men with their ------ like dried fabres and as small as a picky's beak but your egos are as big as thiiiiiiis so to think that they can take advantage of young, attractive, nubile girls such as myself, well they can expect savages to fly before………"

………

-----------------------------------------------------------

When Irya cautiously emerged into the doorway a few moments later, she saw that Yuresia was asleep again. And the high priest was slumped on the table. Muffled sounds of words probably for his own ears only were heard. She stepped inside. Hearing her footsteps, Hiroki looked up and turned around. There was a distinctly traumatized look in his eyes.

Are you alright? She mouthed to him.

The high priest looked around absent-mindedly, Irya felt almost sorry for abandoning him. He looked so downcast, almost like an abused puppy, but it had to be learnt the hard way.

"I'm scandalised." He said after a while.

"Rule of thumb: never try to wake Yure up, unless you want to be talking to a paranoid bitch."

"…Thanks for the lesson."

"Just between you and me though, wouldn't you think she'd make a great dancer?" The alchemist plopped down on a chair with a sly smile, suddenly Irya: Party Gossiper.

It then occurred to him that perhaps Yuresia would make a lovely dancer instead, with the legs and the waist and those eyes. He would be lying through his teeth if he did not find her somewhat…attractive. But then again, there was the unimaginable state of undress and a whip involved, and least to say he wasn't particularly fond of both traits anyways. But the sage uniform…hip…chest…oh bugger that! _Hiroki, you're a God's servant –sort of- for heaven's sakes!_

"Uh…"

Well that would _surely_ convey his unabridged opinion!

She laughed heartily, noting this serious lack of vocabulary on his behalf. "You're going red!"

Err, he was afraid of that.

"Hey…I'm sorry…for what I said of you before." The alchemist apologised suddenly. "I guess…I was just jealous, that my friend and, you …"

"…"

Hiroki the Incoherent strikes again!

"You never left her side…" Irya said, with a genuine smile. "I'm happy for her!"

Somewhere inside the high priest, it felt as if a stone has lifted. He let a small smile float onto his face (that had been all too troubled lately) in reply…

"I'll kill you! I'll kill you! How dare you! BLEAH! Oh wait…where am I?" A voice from behind them yelled heatedly before faltering into a daze.

"YURE!"

The two people at the table jumped up and rushed to the sage, who blinked up at them, confused and surprised. Irya pounced onto her friend, hugging the blue-haired girl tightly.

"Eely…you…are…choking…me…"

"Welcome back…Yure."

"Back? What happened? Where am I now? The last thing I remembered…" The sage made a disgusted face at the memory.

"You were…" The silver-haired girl sniffled a little against the earthen-toned sage muffler, "You were nearly dead! That, that man soul drained you…I thought…I thought…If Hiroki hadn't carried you here…"

"Hir…?" Yuresia looked up, meeting the high priest's brown eyes. But then lowered her gaze and bit her lip. Why was she having such turmoil of mixed feelings at the mere sight of him?

"I—" He started to say something, the sage listened.

"AHEM."

Someone had interrupted them; at the doorway stood a priest. He had a rather glamorous face, but the expression he wore was far from such.

"So while you have your little threesome…your champ friend is busy destroying our facilities."

The three people simply stared at him as if they did not understand, he eyeballed them for a second before stomping the ground, vexed.

"Sheesh! Don't just stand there! I was told to get you!"

"Why? What happened to Genbu?" The alchemist asked the very irate priest, who looked like he was going to bite someone's head off.

"Like I should know!" He snarled rabidly. "Are you women coming or not?"

Irya jumped up and ran after the priest, who took off into the corridor. Yuresia also resumed use of her legs with some help from a rather disgruntled high priest. Soon, the four people were running through the long and winding hallways of AYUS headquarters, the sage glanced from side to side, awed by the translucent minerals set in the rocks.

They shortly ended up where the multi-coloured headache inducer, otherwise known as "Reader" the large crystal, sat. And there they heard…

"You dirty rogue! Come out and fight like a man!"

"You dimwit! Are your brains made of muscle too?"

Irya was stunned, she knew immediately who those two voices belonged to. Oh, the cruddiest crud of cruds.

Only Genbu was visible within the vicinity, his body surrounded by the pulsing vapour of pneuma, his right fist was readied and endowed with an unnatural orange glow, as if daring anyone to even come close to him.

"Mr. Genbu!" The alchemist cried, "What's going on?" He did not seem to hear her.

An arrow flew out from nowhere, its path aiming directly towards the champion. The projectile was instantly deflected as it touched the pneuma spell, bouncing off the smoke as if it was made from rubber, and piercing the stone on the walls instead.

The stalker's form melded from the shadows, carrying a large Gakkung bow in addition to his very jagged and menacing dagger.

"You think I'd fall for that?" He yelled back, well out of range even of thrown spirit spheres. "Learn the difference between bravery and stupidity, will you?"

The champion tossed his spirits at the stalker anyways, creating several large craters in the rough stone walls of the hall as his target disappeared from view again. A few people the party did not recognize, but reckoned belonged to the organization rushed from the site of the explosion, throwing baleful looks at the duelling fighters.

"Mr. Genbu! Mr. Penguin! This is ridiculous!" The alchemist yelled at the top of her lungs, "WHY CAN'T YOU JUST GET ALONG?"

"Because he's a dumbass." The stalker poofed beside her, startling the group.

"And you're a judgemental creep." She retorted, earning a cool but amused glance from those ice-blue eyes. "Why are you even here?"

"It's a piece of cake when you ----yawn---- know where this place actually is." He yawned in the general direction of Genbu. The champion shot him a deathglare as he dropped his stance and approached.

Irya ran towards him, effectively putting herself in between the two men, which would certainly stop them from brawling any longer. Before she reached Genbu, a blinding white light emanated from the earth just in front of her feet as a large, boiling pool of pallid mist swirled into existence.

A second later, out stepped a very irritated Safira Lazuli Myer.

The high wizard saw, and rubbed her temples.

"_Mister Damned Penguin_, I am a very busy individual. What's the meaning of this?"

"Nothing, I just thought I'd drop in on some acquaintances." The stalker replied loftily. "But this…brick brain felt the need to pick a fight."

"You started it this time!" Genbu growled, Irya had to use all her strength to hold him back.

"I'm not the one with the temperament problem."

"DO I LOOK LIKE I CARE?" The leader of AYUS retorted with considerable force.

"Furballs again, Safira?" Penguin said, not to be beaten. "Licking yourself already while you invite questionable people into your guildhouse?"

Irya looked from the rogue to the wizard, they know each other?

"Cut the crap, stalker." Safira snapped, but kept her composed self. "What are you doing here?"

"I was…concerned."

"_Please._" The high wizard rolled her eyes, "You? Concerned?"

"About you? You wish." He drawled, "Though I question your sanity, letting…these people still remain with those girls." He gestured towards the champion, who glared at him with a certain amount of killing intent, and the high priest. Hiroki said nothing.

"What do you mean?"

"I won't go into details," The stalker answered, suddenly serious, "You can do what you like, but I'm taking the alchemist and the sage away."

"W-what?" Irya cried, "Why?"

"_The answer is no_." Safira replied in her most commanding voice. Penguin only chuckled, a sarcastic oh-I'm-so-terrified-of-you chuckle.

"You've got what you want, Myer, that." He waved dismissively at Hiroki, who was starting to consider homicide as an option himself. "Why keep the rest of 'em?"

"I have my reasons." The high wizard said through her teeth, "Now if you would kindly _leave_…"

All The Damn Penguin did was stood there and looked defiantly down at the blonde mage, his icy eyes saying, _Or else what?_ The staring contest persisted for a few seconds in silence…

"I…see." Safira smiled suddenly, one corner of her mouth was upturned in a not so pleasant fashion, "Don't tell me… you're still looking for that little piece of self-gratification after all…"

The stalker took a small step forward, making the height difference between him and the petite wizard much more apparent.

"I wouldn't go there if I were you." He spoke softly, threateningly. The fingers on his right hand twitched closer towards his dagger.

"This is pathetic, even by your standards" The high wizard continued, not fazed by his intimidation, "Get a grip on yourself, she's gone…nothing can bring back the dead."

The stalker stroke with a flash of silver, in that instant, a magenta-coloured screen exploded from the earth in front of the wizard. The dagger cut through Safira's neck behind the wall, but like a ghostly image, she remained intact.

"Mr. Penguin!" Irya swore she nearly had a heart attack. The alchemist had no idea what was going on, other than the fact that whatever Safira said, it made him lose his cool, which was a rare occurrence.

"I don't know what's going on now." Hiroki interrupted, deciding sensibly that talking was probably the best way to resolve things, "But our problems never concerned you in the first place, stalker."

"Shut up," Penguin growled back, "You're the problem, _fake priest_."

Snap. Hiroki's eyes narrowed. The air suddenly turned hot. Scorching hot.

"_I will_," Said the high priest in a tone Yuresia has never heard before. He was smiling a little smile, and it made her shudder, "_after I do the same to you._"

"Stop it, kids." Safira stepped between them, not wanting her guildhouse to suffer anymore damage. "Why are we even fighting in the first place?"

"Because of your ill-conceived decisions to let the innocent get involved!"

"Why are you getting yourself worked up over this then? You've got nothing to do with it!"

"Self-gratification, I tell you."

"_Don't bring up the past, wizard._"

"What? Did I hit a sore spot?"

"What your guild does is none of my business. But I won't let the same thing that happened to her happen to them!"

"So it IS about her after all…"

"Who's this 'her'?"

"His l-"

"Shut up. Safira." Again, the low, malice-filled voice came from the stalker, "I'm just trying to protect them…I don't want history repeating itself!"

"WHAT DO YOU THINK I'VE BEEN DOING ALL ALONG?" Hiroki roared, his brown eyes ablaze with rage.

"I hope you haven't forgotten what I said to you before," Penguin replied, "If you came out alive…and _they didn't_…that girl nearly didn't!"

"YOU THINK I WANTED IT TO HAPPEN?"

"She was soul drained because she's weak." Safira grumbled. Yuresia was taken aback, but acknowledged with some difficulty that it was indeed…the truth.

"Your research, this…thing you and Pezzo are looking for…it kills innocent people!" The stalker said coldly. "Especially those who need protection. I can't allow them to stay here any longer!"

"And who are you to decide?"

………

The shouting continued. Yuresia was no longer following what they were saying. One thing though, she had realised.

"…it's all my fault, isn't it?" She whispered, barely audible.

"My personal issues…but I ended up getting everyone involved…" The sage had a troubled look in her eyes as she watched the furious shouting match between the people she knew. She didn't want to leave, but didn't want to stay. She wanted to move on, forwards. There were still so many things she wanted to ask of Hiroki, and she needed Irya by her side, selfish as it is. And Genbu was also Irya's company…and then the stalker, he…cared, even though, even though…she was never a very emotionally expressive person, but…

These people. They all exist in this time, at this place, around her, because they cared.

She couldn't drag them down any further with her. If only she wasn't so goddamned helpless…

There was…one way.

"I'm…leaving." She suddenly said, not quiet enough. "I'm leaving this place."

The previously arguing people stopped shouting and turned to her, questioning looks on their faces.

"I'm…going to become stronger. I'm going to be a scholar." Yuresia stated decidedly, "I can do this by myself!"

She breathed.

"No one needs to follow me anymore, so…so, just…stop. There would be nothing to argue about if I'm out of the picture, right?"

They didn't say anything, only looked at her as if she had gone mad.

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? STUPID!"

The sage was not prepared to be shaken by the shoulders very harshly by a certain high priest.

"I'm going to be a scholar! Is that too hard to believe?" She snapped at him after getting away from his grasp. What the hell? Wasn't he usually the calm one?

"No!" He protested, "I mean! Stop saying things like 'I can do this by myself'!"

"Are you saying I can't?"

"N-no…" The high priest silently cursed Hiroki the Incoherent. God, what is it that he wanted to say to this girl?

"No, I'm afraid I can't let any of you leave this place." It was Safira who spoke up, her tone was just as determined as Yuresia only moments ago.

"And why is that?" The sage asked deliberately, as though she was challenging the high wizard to try and stop her.

"I've brought you all here, and I'm responsible for keeping you all safe." The blonde wizard replied, "Vanhugen is not within our control yet, and before he is, we cannot let you leave and have him influence you again." Interestingly, she seemed to be speaking to both the sage and the high priest.

"Lady, I have been wasting twelve years NOT looking for that man!" Yuresia replied defiantly, "If he wants to come meet me, I can't be happier! I became a sage so I had a chance against wizards! I don't want to be a weakling any longer, a weakling who spends hours killing plants! I don't want to live under yours, or anyone's protection!"

Safira gave the sage a look similar to what the old and wise would give to a troublemaking youngster.

"Girl, don't dwell in things you're not capable of." Was what the high wizard finally said.

Yuresia felt the blood rush to her eyes. No one trusts that she was ever capable, not that old donkey, not the people in Geffen, not Hiroki, and not…this hag whom she had never met before? Without thinking, she whipped out her Damascus.

"Let. Me. Go." She snarled, her vision in red.

"Don't make me render you immobile again." Safira countered, equally as forceful, magic ready to be commanded at the tips of her fingers. She could easily knock some sense into that girl's head with a myriad of spells. A sage that did not use magic was a joke in her eyes.

She was not, however, anticipating the Heir of the Foundation to step up and place himself between the sage and her.

"If she wants to leave," He said, "Let her."

"What if I say no?" Safira stood her ground. Facing off against the most powerful magic user ever known felt…almost otherworldly. But she was not one to back down easily.

"I'll defend her, against you." Hiroki's voice was dangerously soft, like a monster beneath a calm, glassy lake. She felt a small pang of panic at the pit of her stomach and was instantly ashamed of herself for fearing him.

_Well, this is it, Safira._ She thought to herself, as the magic bubbled from her inner reservoir, preparing to…

Something scarlet and brown appeared in front of her, she blinked her blurry vision. September?

"I don't care if you're the Heir," The newly appeared person stated, acknowledging the high priest, "Before you touch her, you fight me."

"S-September!" The high wizard barked. Was he mad? The red-haired sage swept his large hook-shaped staff, and a pattern of silver runes appeared on the ground, emitting a ghostly glow.

"Interesting." The Heir of the Foundations replied, with a sudden touch of malicious confidence in his voice, "Why would you need to protect someone stronger than you are?"

"It doesn't matter. You protect someone important to you, and I do the same…"

"SEPTEMBER! STOP THIS INSANITY!"

"HIROKI!" Yuresia also joined the outraged cries of the protected damsels in distress.

"Don't think I'll go easy on you." Hiroki ignored the girl behind him, the outlines of his silhouette was flickering in the magic that had gathered around the priest.

The sage did not speak or flinch as the ice spears that formed in the air came plunging down on top of him with terrifying speed. The silver top of his staff turned an incandescent blue as the freezing javelins shattered just inches from touching his body, turning into a blue mist and was quickly absorbed into the magical weapon. Without warning, a ring of fire exploded around the body of the high priest. Like unleashed hunting dogs, the flames shot outwards in all directions, September stifled a gasp before being caught by one of the fireballs and was flung towards a wall by its sheer force.

When the dust had cleared from the impact, the red-haird sage found the wizard in priestly garbs looking down at him, a frightening glint in his dark eyes. _Feel like trying that again? _They asked him. September gritted his teeth and gripped his sage staff, he hadn't expected to be caught off-guard so fast. Hiroki raised his right palm, Jupitel Thunder at the ready and crackling in the centre…

"Alright! I'll let you go!" The both of them heard Safira scream from behind, "So…please…stop…"

The ball of lightning shrank into nothingness as the high priest dropped his hand and turned from the sage, walking back towards where the rest of the group were gathered. September muttered a curse and got up from the rubble, his robes were singed, and the front of his chest was throbbing with pain. He shot a glance at the blonde wizard. She met his eyes, but looked away regretfully.

"C-come with me," Safira gestured towards all of her guests (which included the stalker) in a trembling voice as she gathered herself.

-----------------------------------------------------------

"I can't believe you!" Yuresia whispered fiercely to the high priest beside her as they followed Safira through the tunnels. Hiroki glanced down at her, nonplussed. "I thought you out of all people wouldn't resort to violence! You didn't have to hurt that person!"

"I got you what you wanted…" Hiroki was unaware that he had done anything wrong, "She's letting us go now, isn't she?"

"That's not what I mean!" The sage barked back as they reached the leader's office, "You…you're different…"

He could only look at her, perplexed, as they entered the room.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Safira wasted no time as she sat herself down at her desk and started to scribbled something frantically on a piece of parchment, the guests, who have not been told to do anything yet, were only standing in a circle around the wooden furniture at which the high wizard was seated. She quickly finished what she was writing and nimbly folded and stuffed it into an envelope, finally sealing with a blob of wax. Hopping up from her chair, she passed the letter to Yuresia, who took the document and stood there, looking confused.

"Junee will warp you all to Hugel." The high wizard paced for a while and said, ignoring the blatant _Why?_ expressions the other people in the room sported. "Hand that letter to the inn keeper, no one else but the inn keeper."

"Inn keeper? In Hugel?" Yuresia repeated, what was Safira getting at?

"Yes, and—" Reaching into one of the drawers in her desk, the high wizard drew out what seemed like a handful of small, black spikes and also shoved it into the sage's hands. "These will allow you to communicate with us, wear them."

The small black spikes turned out to be a pair of bat-winged ears, not any different from their fashionable counterparts that a lot of adventurers liked to wear. Yuresia put them on her ears, they fit quite snugly.

"About Hugel—" Hiroki started, but was cut off by the blonde wizard as she marched out of her office again, beckoning the group to follow her.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Junee the high priestess had already opened a warp portal in the main hall. It seemed as if she was the only one who could freely use the skill in this area, as Hiroki noted. But there was no time to ponder about the reason as everyone had gathered around their only method of transportation out of the cavern. September still clutched his chest as he leaned on his staff, but refused to look at Safira, who made effort to seem oblivious to it all as she saw the visitors off. Yuresia was the first to step into the portal, her form dissolved in the white swirling mass as she went on her way to Hugel. Then Hiroki, then Irya and Genbu, and lastly, The Damn Penguin.

The portal closed, white light stopped filling the ever-dimly lit AYUS headquarters, as the hall was suddenly much quieter and five people short.

"I'm sorry, teacher," Safira muttered listlessly to herself as she stared at the now empty spot, "I couldn't stop her…"

-----------------------------------------------------------

**A/N:** I'm kinda worn out over this chapter…SO rushed, SO boring…SO…not well written…but I'm tired. Reasons being that my old drafts were lost due to carelessness, Ride the Air has been taking up much of my muse, and I tend to think of endings of stories sooner than the middle parts… AND PLUS I CAN THINK OF SOME CERTAIN PEOPLE WHO REALLY, REALLY SHOULD UPDATE THEIR FICS BUT ARE NOT AND THUS I AM OUT OF THINGS TO READ SO AMEND THAT PLEASE?

Reviews are my motivation! Review, review pretty please?

**Game References:**

Up at a later date.


	10. Ocean

Love to **Fushica**, **Tela**, **WindKitsuneofDarkness**, **Anonymous**, **Kenryo, **and** Ellie0223** for reviewing!

I decided to update more frequently with shorter chapters...no smut in this one yet, sorry to those who were waiting for it :(

**Scene VIII – Ocean **

Hugel was not called the Garden City without a reason.

The air was chilly but smelled like freshly melted snow. There was a surprising amount of greenery and colour considering the city's geographical location. It was not a bustling place like Prontera, nor did it have many outstanding features. Just a quiet, quaint, humble little mountain town. But there was some inexplicable presence in the atmosphere that would make even the most surly grouch smile.

And that was truly fortunate for the group that had arrived presently in the town square.

Passer-bys stared as the troup consisting of sage, high priest, alchemist, champion, and stalker emerged from a warp portal gate. Hugel wasn't exactly a popular venue for travellers, and these people did not look like they were here to sight-see either.

"Where's the inn?" Yuresia mused to no one in particular.

After asking around, the group found themselves standing in front of a cottage of sorts, slightly larger than the rest but just as…plain and unimpressive. But the flowers at front of the house was very well tended to, showing that whoever owned the place was a very meticulous person.

The door was open, the sage stepped in. Floorboards creaked, the air smelled like lemons. There were tables and chairs set up neatly around the room, but not a soul in sight. Perhaps it was still too early in the morning.

"It's so…quiet…" Irya whispered as if she didn't dare disturb the peace.

Then someone popped up from behind the counter at front. Yuresia jumped clean off the floor.

The person blew a stray strand of chestnut-coloured hair from her eyes and gave a wide, cheerful grin.

"Sorry, didn't see you there!" Her voice was loud and hearty. She was a middle-aged woman, dressed in simple, commoner clothes and a white apron. "Five people! Lovely lovely, here to see the poring farm? Brave the Odin Temple? Get married? Bit too young for that, ain't you? Haha!"

"Erm…eh…" Yuresia was quite overwhelmed by the fast-firing chatter.

"But too bad we're clean out of rooms for five people! So y'all have to snuggle up real tight!"

"Actually…" The high priest interrupted, "We're looking for the innkeeper…"

"You're talking to the girl right now!" She put her hands on her hips and smiled even wider.

"Uh…I have a letter…for you." Yuresia extracted the document from the bag on her waist and held it out to the overtly bubbly middle-aged lady.

"Why, you're an angel, darling!" The innkeeper was please as anything. She opened the envelope and glanced through the contents.

Suddenly, the smile fell from her face. Replaced was an expression best described as disbelief. Her eyes darted from the letter to Yuresia, who stood there, puzzled.

"No…it…it…" For the first time, she did not put together a vivacious sentence. "You're…you're…"

The sage blinked as the brown-haired innkeeper rushed out from the counter and hugged her tightly, then held her at an arm's length as she studied the girl with tears in her slightly wrinkled eyes.

"Oh girl, you've grown so much! The last time I saw you you were still small enough to hold in one arm!" She gushed, "Your hair, those eyes! You're the very spitting image of your parents!"

"M-my parents?"

"Yes, Renna and Fal!"

"How…did you know?" Yuresia was even more baffled. She certainly had never told anyone who her parents were…And if it really had been so long since the woman had seen her, she would definitely not have recognised her.

"This letter!"

The sage and her comrades all crowded around the piece of paper as the innkeeper turned it around for them to see.

_To Borea and Ivanil, _

_This is Safira. It must have been a long time since you heard from me. I will save the greetings for later. The sage that bears this letter is the daughter of professor Findel. I tried to withhold her for her own protection at AYUS but she insisted on leaving to pursue the rank of scholar. Please look after her, for the sake of my late teacher. _

_Yours Sincerely, _

_Safira Lazuli Myer _

"Safira…" Hiroki whispered. He had no idea…that she was also trying to protect Yuresia. Inside, he felt just a little guilty for going up against her like how he did. It was even more of a surprise to find out that the high wizard was once Falmoore's student…just like how he was that person's…he looked away.

"What's with the gathering, dear?"

A deep, disembodied male voice spoke from somewhere in the room. All the visitors except Penguin, who looked like he was used to this kind of exchange, glanced around nervously.

"Oh psh, darling, stop scaring the guests and come out!"

As sudden as the voice that had come, a towering man appeared from seemingly nowhere, standing even taller than Genbu. He was not a young man anymore, but would still be considered handsome by anyone's standards. A thin braid from his slightly greying reddish brown hair rested on his left shoulder as he studied the visitors with mildly amused crimson eyes.

"Assassin." Penguin mumbled under his breath.

"That's Assassin _Cross_ to you, Mister Stalker."

The rogue looked like he had been slapped hard across the face. But he refrained from starting an argument, he had a feeling the assassin cross before them could be deadly if provoked.

"Hush dear, that's not polite." The woman patted the tall man on the shoulder and chided. "Look! It's Yuresia! Isn't she such a beauty now?"

The sage blushed involuntarily, no one had ever called her…a beauty before. The brown-haired man studied her for a few seconds.

"She's Renna, all over again." He came to the conclusion.

Yuresia turned even redder and found her shoes extremely interesting. Sensing her discomfort, the older woman nudged the assassin.

"This would be my husband, Ivanil."

"Call me Ivy and die." He warned in a tone that was far from joking.

"And I'm Borea, but call me Bory!" The chestnut-haired lady ignored her husband and introduced herself. "Welcome to Hugel, Yure."

It was inexplicable, but from the innkeepers, Yuresia could feel the distant and long lost ambience of…family. She smiled.

-----------------------------------------------------------

"So you two are retired?"

The seven people sat around a table, a cup of steaming tea at each place. The previously invisible customers of the inn emerged from their rooms and sat around the common area, chatting quietly to themselves.

Borea nodded. "I was once a whitesmith with a killer figure – oh don't look at me like that dear, I haven't moved these abs in ages!"

Everyone mentally sweatdropped at the fact that a woman could talk about being fat with such ease. But Yuresia smiled again, she really had taken a liking to the former-smith and her husband.

Ivanil suddenly turned his red gaze to the sage and held out a hand, the girl blinked in surprise.

"Your dagger, if you please." He clarified his intentions. Yuresia unsheathed her weapon and handed it to the assassin cross former.

" Damascus, powerful, but heavy. Not easy to control. Well balanced, the blade's sharp enough. You've taken good care of it." He analysed while balancing the weapon with one finger. With a swift flick of his wrist, Yuresia found the hilt of her dagger pointed towards her.

"You seem determined enough." The assassin remarked knowingly.

"I want to become a scholar as soon as possible…but I just…don't know how…" Yuresia received the Damascus and confessed, eyes not leaving the blade's shiny surface.

"If you're talking about daggers. My Ive knows all about them." Borea winked, "You could learn a lot from him, you know."

The sage's eyes brightened. "Can I…really?"

The innkeepers nodded.

"I can…train with you, Ivanil?"

The tall man nodded again. "Two months. Two months and I'll send you to the Valkyrie."

Yuresia jumped up from her seat, ecstatic.

"Thank you thank you thank you! I won't let you down!" She beamed as a new path to the future lied ahead.

-----------------------------------------------------------

It was late afternoon as the sage hugged her alchemist friend goodbye. Since Yuresia had decided to stay in Hugel and train with the retired assassin cross, Irya felt she also needed to head back to Alde Baran to continue her studies in her biochemical fields. Hiroki decided to stay with Yuresia, while Genbu would go with Irya. Penguin had no comment as he crossed his arms and watched the decision-making around him with disinterest.

"Two months!" Irya grinned broadly, "Two months later, let's go meet the Valkyrie together! It's a promise!"

The white feathers quivered as the blue-haired girl nodded vigorously.

"One more thing!"

As Genbu opened a warp portal, Irya shouted and rushed back to her friend. However, her goal was not Yuresia, but Hiroki. She tugged his sleeve, indicating for the tall priest to bend down. When he did so, she whispered something into his ear, grinning mysteriously.

Hiroki looked surprised, but smiled and nodded. Yuresia looked on with a raised eyebrow. After the clandestine conversation, the alchemist bounded back to where the champion was waiting for her.

"Bye bye! See you in two months!" Irya then waved before disappearing into the portal.

Just as Genbu was about to follow after her, a shadow darted in front of him. The stalker smirked as he dived into the swirling white. He made a choice after all.

The fist fighter looked aghast as he slapped his forehead, but there was no turning back. With a final glance at Hiroki and Yuresia, Genbu also stepped into the magical gate to Alde Baran.

-----------------------------------------------------------

"This will be your room!"

Yuresia and Hiroki stared. It was a spacious room, with a small desk, chairs, wardrobe, a large window with white curtains and a bed.

That was the problem, there was only one bed.

"It's the only place we've left." Explained Borea, "Couples love it."

""But…we're not…" The sage tried to clarify what seemed to be a misunderstanding. Hiroki looked remorseful.

"I'm sure you'll make do, somehow!" The innkeeper's smile was way too wide for Yuresia's comfort. "You two look like you've been through a lot. So shoo, take a shower and let me wash those dirty clothes. I'll bring some clean ones you can borrow for now."

The two people obediently went to clean themselves as Borea threw their dirty job uniforms in with the mountain of laundry, the former-smith certainly wouldn't be the one to wash all of these _by herself_. But that will have to wait as she rummaged through her own closet and dug out a plain, white dress for Yuresia, then from her husband's garment drawers, a shirt and trousers for the high priest.

She smoothed out the dress, it was not extraordinary. But she imagined it would look great on the sage. Borea giggled like a young girl at the thought.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Yuresia hadn't worn a dress in ages, it took a lot of twisting and turning before she discovered the sinfully unapparent zipper at the back. It fitted well onto her form, except for the chest areas, which hung a bit loose. It was probably Borea's dress when the smith was younger, and what she meant by 'killer figure' might have included the frontal areas that Yuresia, for better or worse, was not immensely well endowed with.

She walked into the room that was to be shared with…that high priest. He was still taking his time. She sat herself down on the soft mattress. The window was open, and from outside, she could hear the long, forlorn cries of seagulls.

Hiroki…why didn't he want her to know about what happened? Vanhugen had said something that shook her from the very depths of her soul. But she couldn't be sure, she won't jump to conclusions, not until she get some decisive answers from…him.

The door creaked open.

"Ah…" Both high priest and sage took a look at each other and was at a loss for words.

_Breathe, Yure, breathe! It's good for you!_ She told herself fiercely.

Damn it. No one has ever looked that good wearing a plain white shirt and black pants that were just a bit too big even for him. They were probably Ivanil's clothes, considering their size.

Silence ensued.

It was strange now that the rest of their companions had left, both parties found it terribly hard to start a conversation.

"Don't you have…something to tell me?" Yuresia said uneasily at last.

"Eh?"

"There's something I…want to make sure." The sage's expression became even more troubled as she balled her fists on her thighs.

"Hiroki…what Vanhugen said…is it true?"

The first thing to cross his thoughts was that Vanhugen had said a lot of things, and none of them remotely pleasant. But at the back of his mind, he knew, he was certain, that she meant one thing only...

"Hiroki….Did you really kill Dad?"

He panicked.

"Listen to me, Yure, I—"

She shook her head and it shut him up. "I want you to answer me truthfully, did you kill my Dad?"

"I…I can explain!"

"DID YOU OR DID YOU NOT KILL MY DAD?"

Yuresia desperately wanted the one-worded answer he was so unwilling to give. She wished with all her heart that everything would be a lie. But from how the high priest was responding, her spirits sank lower and lower. Why did he still need to make excuses if the truth was the truth? There was silence, and thick, smothering tension.

"…Yes, I did."

That was the answer.

Suddenly, the world seemed so cruel. She felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice-cold water on her, or hit her over and over with a barbed mace, or taken her and ripped her insides out while she was still alive. Her vision turned white, and the tears, the tears she could no longer hold back…

The sage in the white dress burst out of the inn in the orange dusk, her bare feet making crisp slapping sounds on the pavements of Hugel, in her wake, little dark splotches of liquid seeped through the stone.

Hiroki still stood in the room, not completely aware as to what had happened, but why did it agonise him so?

In the instant he answered her, he despised himself. Unconsciously, he clutched the large silver cross, the symbol of his priestly rank that hung at his chest. It did not provide any much needed comfort.

What good would the future do…if the past still hurts?

"Whatcha doing still standing there?" There came a voice from the door. It was Borea, nonchalantly drying a dish in her hands.

Hiroki looked up but didn't respond. What was he supposed to do? What _could_ he do?

"There are women predators about after dark…" The innkeeper lady informed him with a serious look in her eyes.

Hiroki blanched.

Two seconds later, the high priest was dashing out of the building at full speed. The middle-aged woman looked after his tall, disappearing form, and shook her head.

"Is there really?" A low voice in the shadows asked.

She turned around and shrugged, "No, but I figured he needed a push."

"You're as devious as always, my dear." Ivanil appeared and wrapped his arms around his wife's shoulders.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Yuresia didn't know where she was going. All she knew was when she stopped, her legs had moved so much they hurt, and her lungs felt like they were going to burst into flames. She panted, from the effort of running and crying.

Freezing cold water lapped at her feet, she yelped a little at the shock. But soon realised she was looking out into an endless stretch of dancing orange lights. The sand cushioned her aching soles, and salty ocean breeze dried her wet face.

It was a mystery how emotions could come in bouts at a time, as the despair bubbled up like lava through her again. Yuresia felt her throat tighten, and water starting to form in her eyes. It was so…unlike her, unlike her independent and strong-minded self, but it pained her heart so much, to just hold it all in… The sage threw back her head and wailed to the sky, her throat felt like sandpaper but she didn't care. Tears flowed in two steady streams down her cheeks and neck.

_…why? _

_Why must the world work this way? _

_Why? _

_Why must it be Hiroki who had killed Dad? _

_WHY? _

_Why am I…why am I…unable to hate that smile? _

When she felt she was done crying her pitiful heart out to the dimming sky, Yuresia crouched down and pulled herself into a fetal position. It was cold. Her long, sky blue hair slid over her shoulders and fell onto the wet sand between her feet. The droplets of sorrow still tumbled from her sore eyes, but disappeared into the foaming waves without a trace. She held her shoulders and shivered, it was fine by her, just being like this, forever and ever. The physical cold and discomfort was nothing compared to her inner turmoil.

"Yure…"

It was after an undetermined period of time, she heard that familiar voice, and felt a hand on her shoulder.

The sage jumped up and backed away from him, from the cause of all her pain.

"D-don't touch me! Leave me alone!" She screamed as she turned and ran down the beach, hearing his fast-approaching footsteps behind her. In an impulse, she veered towards the sea and crashed through the waves. Icy cold seeped to her skin, and she bit her teeth together to stop them from chattering. Her legs and feet turned numb, Yuresia looked back and saw the high priest at the edge of the water, a look of pure horror across his face.

"YURE! GET BACK HERE!" He hollered at her.

"NO!" She shrieked at him, "GO AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE! PLEASE!"

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?"

"MAYBE I AM!"

It tore at his heart, to see her that way. Her willowy form shivering from being battered by the waves but was looking at him with torment in those emerald eyes. One thing after another had happened to her and if she comes down with some illness, he could never forgive himself.

Hiroki bit his lower lip, and lowered a foot into the water.

"Yure…I know I've been running away from the past!"

She was shocked that he would go to such lengths to reach her. But Yuresia stood still, her lower body would not listen to her even as she urged for them to move away from him. He continued to wade through the same bitter waves of the sea.

"A past I didn't want to face…I thought I could get away from it all if I just ditch my wizard's cape and rebirth as something else, but this world's never as simple as that!"

He was a few metres away, a large breaker came down on his side, soaking his shirt and slowing him down.

"Why did I choose to be a priest? I had no idea, and I lived my life aimlessly everyday, not knowing what purpose I serve. I'm a God's servant, but I'm also a protector, a protector who has no one to protect…"

She could see his dark hair clinging to his face, and the determination in his eyes as he closed in on her.

"Until I met you, Yure."

Hiroki's arms came around her shoulder and her back, and the next thing she knew, she was pulled up with her head propped against his left shoulder. She tried to struggle in defiance, but his arms were strong as he held her to him. She felt…warm, as if that was a feeling that had long since disappeared from her memory.

"And I realised that I can't run forever, because you never ran away, and I won't anymore. I did kill your father, I won't deny it, and I can't change the past."

His voice was coming from somewhere above her. The events involving her and him, it was all too chaotic, yet fateful. She let herself indulge in the warmth of his embrace. The truth hurt, it would drive her insane to think, and she didn't feel like doing any of that now.

"But…I can protect you…let me stay by your side, Yure. It's the least I can do."

His voice was but a bare whisper but she heard him clear as day. The sage buried her face into the fabric in front of her, it was already wet from seawater, a little more moisture wouldn't hurt… Her own arms found themselves around his middle, he responded by holding her even closer.

"…forgive me."

The curtain of stars was already drawn as the sun sank completely into the sea. Two people stood amongst the rough waters for the longest time, embracing for the sake of embracing, for the sake of being there for each other. The waves still beat relentlessly on the both of their bodies, but the cold could hold nothing to the beating of two warm hearts…

"Umm…I think we should head back…our clothes are all wet…"

"…I agree…"

-----------------------------------------------------------

**A/N:** Ok ok I PROMISE I'll update sooner next time. Next chapter is of the antics of Irya, and how she babysits the champion and stalker. Stay tuned! And review please:3


	11. Canal

Love to **Tela**, **Fushica**,** Moussi, K005, Anonymous**,** Ellie, **and **Hikahika** for giving reviews! I survive on them, gimme!

Filler-ish chapter. More like character focus, I felt that these three need some spotlight. It's not mind-blowingly funny, but I hope it's interesting. Argh, there's so much more I want to write about them, but 1. I'm lazy and 2. You'd find it boring.

**Scene IX - Canal**

"Maurice! Maurice! I"ve lost my goggles! I svear, zey have eluded me once again!"

"...They"re on your head, Dr. Pedre."

"Oh! So zey are! vhat vill I do vithout you, Maurice!"

"My name is Iry-"

"Not now, Maurice! I'm in ze middle of my experryment!"

It was a lost cause. Irya decided that she might as well not have said anything at all. The jaws on the elderly biochemist's shoulders made savage snapping noises and spat out a small fireball as he cackled while dropping some luminescent green liquid into the pot of an equally suspicious-looking blue plant.

She had often wondered what purpose those jaws served, other than effectively keeping a 5-feet radius of no-man's land wherever a biochemist went.

"Destroying evidence." Once her mentor had told her, with a menacing, toothy grin. He was, for a more positive way to describe, eccentric, and on the other end of the spectrum, downright insane.

The alchemist carried a few empty pots out of her rather destructive mentor's way and looked longingly out the window of the greenhouse.

Alde Baran was the kind of place that would suit perfectly with the lull of soft accordion and violin music. Long-time residents of the city grew up listening to the lullaby created by the gurgling of water that flowed through limestone paved canals. Gondolas coursed the waterways as travellers lounged in the abundant coffee stands that were mostly situated on the banks overlooking the long, thin boats drifting by. The clock tower stood, watching over the city with its ever-solemn presence, white bricks drenched with the orange of the setting sun.

It had been three weeks since she left Yuresia in Hugel with Hiroki. To be quite honest, she still felt like a cactus had grown in the pit of her stomach when she thought about it, but was abashed when she knew deep down that Yure would never trade her for any man.

"Hey, hey," Someone nudged her with an elbow, working a mortar and pestle with both hands"he gonna pick you up again today?"

"Who?" Asked the platinum blonde absent-mindedly, turning her head away from the window.

The other alchemist, who also worked under the mad scientist Dr. Pedre, grinned slyly and rapped the girl gently on the head."The champion! Who else?"

Irya stuck out her tongue and made a face, concealing the fact that her cheeks felt a bit warm. "Yes, but he's just a friend!"

"I'm sure the stalker you're with on weekends is 'just a friend' too." Snickering in a teasing fashion, her co-worker nudged her again.

"He is." She replied simply, which was also the truth.

"You luckiest girl in Alde Baran!"

Irya was doubtful of the integrity of that statement.

_Domm, domm, domm, domm, domm, domm._

The familiar and tell-tale deep tone of the clock tower struck six. The two alchemists stopped what they were doing, and looked towards the crouching figure of the old biochemist, who was now scraping some things off the leaf of a plant into a test tube.

"...right right, zat vill be all for today, Frederic, Maurice!" He mumbled in mid-scrape, though acknowledging nothing but his plant. However, that was the signal for dismissal. Irya and her co-worker packed up their potion bottles and tidied the counters. Of course, those were not really their names, but he had a certain tendency to call people by a random name of the opposite gender.

Irya stepped out the alchemist guild with her cart in tow, the sky was darkening fast in the autumn season, and street lamps guttered to light one by one. She spotted a familiar figure by one of the posts across from the street. His gauntleted arms were folded across his chest, the long thin strands of cloth hanging down from his head weaved in the afternoon breeze. A few girls who were sitting at a nearby coffee shop giggled amongst themselves as they threw furtive looks at the man. He didn't seem to notice anything.

"Genbu!" The alchemist dashed up to him. The champion standing under the sodium lights smiled slightly and waved.

Every night that she worked, and after she finished for the day, Genbu would always walk her to the market to buy groceries before all the merchants close for the night, and then he would walk her to her rented house on the upper-left district of Alde Baran before bidding her goodnight and heading back to the inn. The clock tower city was well-maintained and well-policed, there was rarely any crime, so this protectiveness was perhaps in excess. But Irya enjoyed these moments. In that time, she would chatter on about her internship, her insane boss/mentor, what looking interesting in the market that day, and anything that came to mind. She was grateful that the champion not only let her talk to her heart's content, but actually listened. Genbu may not speak nearly as much, but he has surprising insight in most topics they talked about. And little by little, she was figuring out this man who preferred to talk with actions more than words.

When she ranted to him about her worries for Yuresia and Hiroki, he revealed that his high priest friend was an idiot in those respects. Once a priestess confessed to Hiroki, but he misunderstood every word she said. It made the alchemist laugh, and Genbu seemed amused.

However, no matter how her curiosity plagued, and how subtle she was about it, the one topic he refused any input on was his past. The alchemist thought it unfair, hers was far from glorious, yet she was not ashamed of speaking about it, much less brooded over it. Genbu did seem at times to brood over certain things known only to himself.

-------------------------------------------------------

Things were as different as fire and ice when the stalker was the one to meet her on days when she went to vend and buy things from the market, usually appearing in a cloud of dust out of nowhere. Irya often attracted more attention that usual when she was with a stalker, as is with their brethren (or rival), the assassin cross, they do not tend to walk about in broad daylight.

Irya did not dislike Penguin, especially when he had warned her about Hiroki and tried to free them from AYUS. The stalker may look hostile and cold, and not to mention having a venomous tongue. But she felt oddly comfortable with him, even though rogues were natural enemies of merchants, or so nature dictated.

One thing that peeved her was that he never addressed her by the name, which by now she was sure he would have picked up, even if she never told him directly. There were various substitutes: alchemist girl, dumpling head, Maurice (how the hell did he know?), but mostly just alternated uses of 'girl' and 'you'.

"Look, can't you just call me 'Irya'?" She asked him one day, considerably irritated.

"Oh." Penguin replied, as if he hadn't noticed anything out of place, "You call me 'Penguin'. Yet that's not what I really am. Right?"

He then continued walking as if nothing had happened. Irya nearly fainted, torn between throwing an acid at him and just laughing it off as a joke.

"But...I thought that's what your name is...you told me that time in Prontera!"

"Nickname maybe, but not my name either."

"Hey!" Irya stopped and pouted, "Liar! You said you have no name!"

He blinked his icy eyes at her as if she had gone mad, "Absurd, of course I do. Everyone has a name. It's the very basic of what they are."

She almost forgot that he was not a rogue for doing nothing. And denying that they ever said something in the first place was what they did on a daily basis.

"I don't think it's...polite to refer to me as 'alchemist girl' all the time. So pray tell, and we can be even."

"What's 'polite'? Something that goes on a kebab?"

Argghhh...

-------------------------------------------------------

The Damn Penguin always preserved a healthy amount of antagonism towards Genbu, and vice versa. It was petty, in Irya's opinion, yet she did not know why they still loathe each other so much. The two avoided each other most of the time. It was awkward, but probably for the better because whenever they met, the results were explosive.

In the three weeks, she had to pull them apart two times, thankfully, no historical monuments were harmed in the process. But Irya had grown to tire of this activity, it constantly had her nerves high strung, fearing that she won't be there to stop them the next time they start to tear at each other's throats. They were like children, wrecking havoc the second when your eyes were not on them.

They have to learn to get along. She decided. It had to be done, or else she will go mad.

Therefore, in the afternoon of the beginning of the fourth week, there were two men who were glaring at each other like mongoose and cobra, with an alchemist standing sheepishly at the side.

"I thought," Penguin started, directing his words at Irya and eyes not leaving the champion, "when you said, 'meet you at the base of the east bridge at six', I presumed you'd come_ alone_."

Genbu did not utter a word, but Irya had a faint idea he was thinking the same thing.

Ignoring the stalker and clearing her throat for courage, Irya announced, "I've called you both here...to apologize to each other...resolve your differences...and make up."

What followed were blank, incredulous stares directed at her.

"Excuse me?" Said the stalker, raising an eyebrow, "but you two, the city nursery is on the other side?" He gestured with a hand. Irya sweatdropped, her patience slipping.

"Look, your...conflicts are getting ridiculous." She supressed her temper, "I want it to end...please."

An awkward silence followed.

Genbu turned his gaze away from the two people in front of him and towards the water and the banks on the other side of the canal, his eyes were distant, but his tone was firm when he said it.

"I hate rogues."

The stalker raised a corner of his upper lip in disgust. "You think numbskulls like you are loveable? Or are you just spiteful because I'm stronger than you are?"

"You joke. Ever considered being a bard?"

"Oh, that stung." Replied Peguin in an unenthusiastic tone, "But I never joke. Have you already forgotten the lesson you were taught in Prontera?" There was a strange edge to his voice, Genbu's eyes narrowed dangerously as he clenched his teeth, likewise his fists. Irya presumed it to be what happened at the inn...but...why was Genbu still so worked up over it?

That lightning was whipping around the champion again, crackling in the dry air. The stalker saw and smirked, drawing out his dagger with one fluid motion.

_Everything was wrong! Wrong wrong wrong._ Thought Irya, distraught. They were going to fight again! She couldn't figure out why, it all seemed so...trite, yet they were both supposed to be intelligent men. Why was there no logical reason for their fighting other than baseless mutual hatred?

"Please just...stop! It's stupid! I don't understand!" Instinctively, she reached out and grabbed Genbu's wrist in one hand and Penguin's dagger-equipped fist in the other, aiming to stop them from coming into contact with the person opposite. In the next instant, she found herself being hurled effortlessly into the air.

_Splash._

The two men turned around to find the spot where a silver-haired alchemist had been standing on...empty.

And someone was flailing in the water just below the edge of the stone banks.

"Irya!" "Alchemist girl!"

It was a good thing Irya knew how to swim, but her boots and cape were heavy and it dragged her down. The canal wasn't very deep, but still could drown a person. She waved her arms and kicked her legs wildly to stay above the surface, but that did not stop her from taking in a few gulps of the canal water, which was not extremely pleasant. She soon felt two hands grab her arms and pull her up towards the bank, she clung onto the stone and drove her boots into the cracks of the slabs, heaving herself from the water.

Her furry muff and cape had soaked through and through with moisture and hung slack and heavy on her back as Irya knelt with her arms supporting in front, coughing canal water from her system. There seemed to be voices around her, but she was not listening. Her ears were stuffed with water, and even her eyesight was blurry. Slowly, she got to her feet, but did not bother parting her long hair from her face as it hung in a pale veil in front of her eyes. The panic from before had evapourated quickly, replaced with...rage.

"Irya! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-" The champion apologized hurriedly, looking genuinely worried, and breaking his usual silent demeanor for once. No one caught the stalker breathe a sigh of relief before he scowled.

"Yea, it was his fault." Penguin stated, not a sliver of guilt in his voice. Genbu felt his temper rise again.

"Why you--you chucked her too!" He growled at the stalker, who looked away.

"...just shut up..."

Irya mumbled through her dripping wet hair and muffler, the two men did not seem to hear her.

"What? Trying to pin the blame on someone else? Some superhero you are."

"狗娘養的..." Genbu murmured, but not quite soft enough to not be heard. (1)

"What's that? I don't speak Doofus."

"_JUST SHUT UP."_

They did, this time. Because the voice just then sounded like something that would strike from the darkness and rip their heads off.

The alchemist stood there, arms dangling at her side with her head bowed and face concealed with hair, a pool of water was gathering at her feet. For an instant, Genbu thought of one of the old oriental tales, of a girl who had been pushed down a well and died...but had crawled back out and started to kill people.

"You two are always bickering and fighting over the pettiest things..." Irya continued to speak in a detached, eerie voice. "I'm tired of it...too tired..."

Looking up, with anger smeared across her face and blazing from her eyes. She reached one hand behind her, and took out four bottles gripped between all of her fingers.

_BOOM!_

"WHY CAN'T YOU CONTROL YOUR TEMPER FOR ONCE YOU STUPID OAF?!"

_BOOM!_

"WHY CAN'T YOU SHUT YOUR STINKING TRAP YOU COCKY JERK?!"

_BOOM!_

"WHY DO I HAVE TO PICK UP AFTER YOU TWO EVERY. SINGLE. TIME?!"

_BOOM!_

"I DON'T WANT TO SEE EITHER OF YOU AGAIN! EVER!"

Irya flung her hair back viciously and stormed from the charred and smoking scene, which held a few small fires and two men beside themselves with shock in its midst.

After a few mutually silent moments, which were laden with ambient night sounds and the soft lapping of water against rock. The stalker spoke.

"That was...an eye-opener."

"For once, I agree."

-------------------------------------------------------

(1) "Sonnuvabitch" in Chinese XD (Oh I teach children bad things)

**A/N:** Last filler-ish chapter before the plot moves onwards at breakneck pace! I HOPE /swt. Next chapter is boring PLOT, with AYUS people, maybe bit o' HiroYure.

有時我真的很想用中文寫，不過不曉得有沒有人看得懂。名字是個大問題。玄武，企鵝，伊里亞還好。優蕾希亞讀起來好彆扭……煩惱的是Hiroki.該怎麽翻譯呢? orz

Sal:還有沙肥拉呀！七千卡路里的！

Safira: -Jupitel Thunders-

Doesn't matter if you can't read Chinese, I said nothing of importance up there XD

**AND I HAFF TEH NEW SPOILERI-FICARTS IN PROFILE PAGE. LAWL NOT REALLY BUT Ok, go and take a look if you will :D**

I will procrastinate if I don't get **reviews**, I'm serious, I will.

K005: Irya is a good girl who deserves a good guy... I like the both of them, but I know which one I'm rooting for. /gg

Anonymous: Sorry, actiony parts won't come for a long while... and Vanhugen is doing something behind the scenes as we speak. You like HiroYure? I like HiroYure, it's all cute and fluffy and thus so nice to torture later on. /gg

**Game References:**

Bomb - Alchemist skill :D Creates a small fire that destroys weapons.


	12. Someone I must protect

Thank you **Tellie, Fushica, Deviruchi, WindKitsuneofDarkness, Anonymous, Damien T. Wolf, Ashes Kittyhawk, Moussi, Ellie, Unfocused Mind, and Hika**! I've gotten enough boost from the reviews for a rocket! So this chapter is for you guys -lavv-

In this chapter, someone you've heard about time and time again will finally make a first appearance :D

**Scene X - Someone I must protect**

"Does it still hurt?"

Redundant question, of course it still did, the sharp twinges of pain had subsided but the throbbing persisted. September looked down at his bandaged midsection, the purple edges of an enormous bruise protruded from under the bandages. A few ribs might have cracked when he was caught by that sight trasher.

Safira snipped a strand of the white cloth as she wrapped around his middle and pinned it down at his side. Junee and Martius had done what they could to ease the pain, and beyond that September refused to let them heal further. It was common knowledge that even though wounds can be vanquished in an instant, the body will be weakened perpetually. Magic was not a perfect technique, after all.

The sage had not spoken to her since, but he allowed her to tend to his wounds in the old fashioned way. They were sitting on Safira's office sofa, silence like a shroud befell them after the high wizard's question.

"Look," She started again, "He could have killed you."

The glance he gave through his deep, steely blue eyes told her. Then let him.

"He could have killed you!" Safira repeated, frantic. "You-you, argh! I never imagined you'd be so brash as to challenge the Heir himself. Do you realise how...utterly...suicidal that was?! And you should not have fought without my permission!"

"Pardon me, Miss Myer," September replied coldly, his tone sour, "For I failed to stand aside and watch your suicidal activities without interfering." The high wizard clenched her teeth, infuriated by his rebelliousness.

"Do you not understand?!" She would have screamed if it were not for her trained composure, "You could have died...no you, you would have died!"

"Don't compromise your decisions because of me." The sage turned his head away, but the sharp edge in his voice had dulled somewhat, "I was insulted...and that's not the Safira I know..."

"I'm sorry." She shuffled closer to September and touched him lightly on the shoulder, being careful not to bump anywhere the bruise manifested. "I know you were trying to protect me...but I just...can't afford to...lose you."

He surprised the high wizard by suddenly grabbing her hand and pulling her into an embrace, Safira gasped and tried to resist, in fear that she would hurt him. She heard his sharp intake of breath when she touched his chest area, but the sage did not seem to care as much as he held her close to him, burying his face into her golden locks.

"I guess..." He whispered into her hair, "I was thinking the same thing when I jumped out in front..."

Safira felt a gush of emotion inside her, her chest tightened so it hurt, as if in sympathy of September's wound. "Yes...I know."

They would have remained this way for quite some time, if it weren't for Safira sensing someone's presence outside the door. With a sigh, she took his hands and unwrapped them from her.

"Who is it?"

Entered a lady clad in thick silver-blue armour and a short, leathery skirt, the wear of a paladin. Her rose-coloured hair was tied in two thin pigtails that hung to either side of her breastplate with the rest in a ponytail behind her head. She bore an uncanny resemblance to Junee, the high priestess, but it was not strange, as AYUS knows them as twins.

"E-excuse me, Miss Myer." She glanced around nervously before speaking. "There's...there's someone..."

"Who is it?"

"Um..." The paladin paused, eyes darting from Safira to September and back. "It may not be a good time..."

"Just spit it out, Janua." The high wizard commanded, she had had a long day and was not in the mood for idle chatter.

"It's...it's...him." Janua tugged at one of her pigtails guiltily, as if she had done something bad by reporting, "And he wants to see you, Miss Myer."

-------------------------------------------------------

"To start your training," Ivanil announced, "We'll spar, and I'll assess your current skill and plan from then onwards."

Yuresia nodded, Damascus in hand. She was garbed in her usual uniform that would allow her to use sage magic with the aid of the ring. Hugel did not boast a lot of trees, mainly just evergreens that scattered sparsely across the lands. The grass was thick, but an aging yellow-green, signifying the changing of the seasons. They found an open field on the outskirts of the town and decided to train there.

Ivanil stood across from her, he was empty-handed, and she saw no sheaths or weapon-like items on his person. The sage raised an eyebrow, did assassins ever fought empty-handed?

"I'll be using...this." The answer came to her when Ivanil picked up a hand-length twig from the grass.

Yuresia was peeved. She knew he was strong, but was that no just a bit too cocky?

"Let's begin."

She lunged at him, the point of her dagger directed at his solar plexis. Ivanil stood there as if he had no will to evade her attack. Yuresia panicked for just a fleeting moment, what if she actually killed him? But there was no pulling back as the dagger closed in on his torso.

When the metal was about to sink into cloth and flesh, the assassin turned with one fluid motion and seemingly rolled off the dagger edge like melted butter. The hand holding the twig came under the gleaming metal, and with a swift flick of his wrist. The sage found her dagger flying out of her hands and landing with a thud some distance off into the grass.

She was stunned, what had just happened? He had disarmed her with...a stick?

"Your speed is up to par...but..." Ivanil told her in a solemn voice, "your movement is stiff. You are afraid. "

"I'm not afraid!" Yuresia picked up her weapon and readied herself once more. "Again! Again!"

Hiroki was watching from a distance, dressed comfortably in another set of Ivanil's clothes and sat perched on the post of a fence. The sage continued to spar with the tall assassin some distance away. He was not worried, Ivanil never had any intention to hurt her and he could tell. The high priest stifled a yawn; Hugel's atmosphere was laid-back and lazy, like him. But on the other hand, he did not exactly sleep well last night, considering he had let Yuresia use the bed while he had to make do with the chair.

"Don't fall asleep!" He heard someone say below him and felt the tugging on the tails of his shirt.

Borea crossed her arms and glared up. "Are you by any chance...bored?"

Hiroki sweatdropped.

Then the high priest found himself hanging out washed bed sheets and laundry. It was a good thing he was tall and could sling the sheets over the drying strings with ease.

"There, now you're not just freeloading." Remarked the retired smith dryly, passing another bundle to him, Hiroki simpered, they had gotten a good scolding last night by the innkeeper lady for coming back completely soaked with salt water.

"Say..." The middle-aged woman spoke up again, her voice a little odd, as if she had been waiting to say something, "Who's Yure to you?"

The high priest stopped pulling on the white fabrics.

"She's..." He thought about it for a moment.

"She's someone...important, someone I have to protect."

The woman raised an eyebrow, "That's what we call a 'girlfriend' around here."

He felt his face go warm slightly, and shook his head. "No, it's not like that..."

Borea studied the high priest from the corners of her eyes for a while.

"Alas," The smith straightened a sheet and sighed, "Poor Yure, left behind all alone after Renna and Fal passed on. We would have adopted her it weren't for Ive's job that forced us to move. And then, she left Geffen on her own. We never found out where she went."

"Yure's a strong girl." Hiroki concluded, "She always tries so hard to do things on her own."

"It's because she doesn't want to trouble, or involve those close to her." Gathering up the now-empty laundry baskets, the former whitesmith looked up, acting strangely her age for once, "But, strong can't be called strong if there's nothing holding up the shell from the inside."

Then, the innkeeper left the high priest to ponder over her words as she started to go back indoors.

"Wait!" Cried Hiroki after her, "Wh...what should I do?"

Borea glanced back, eyebrows furrowed, as if it was either a stupid question, or a trick question.

"Love her." She replied. And it was as simple as that.

-----------------------------------------------------------

The minstrel sat perched on an armrest of a couch. The room was dusty, as if it had not been used or opened for ages. He twirled a card between two fingers as he hummed a little tune playfully, an otherworldly, almost eerie tune, the notes were never meant to harmonize, but he didn't seem to care. His clothes seemed a bit too loose and baggy to be accidental. White leggings covered his calves and on his feet were boots with elegantly curved toe points that tapped up and down with some inscrutable beat of the "music". Long, brown hair weaved into a loose braid hung limply down his back. Eyes of a lush green, like the rainforests of Umbala, stared into nothingness as he waited.

"What a horrible song..."

The minstrel turned around to find a high wizard standing before him with a cold, expressionless demeanor. Her violet eyes were fixed upon him with the iciest look possible.

"After two years..." She continued, "You finally decided to show up."

"I apologise." The minstrel replied, his voice was throaty, and words rolled off his tongue with almost too much ease. "I had to go settle some...things."

"And left me to die if Junee hadn't found me?" Safira snapped bitterly. "Was that all I meant to you? Some sort of...tool? To help you find the Heirs?"

He chuckled, a little helplessly, as if she had told some bad joke.

"Why won't you say something to that?" The high wizard demanded, irritated. "You're usually so verbose, _Pezzo Beryl_."

The minstrel named Pezzo sighed. "If that is what you believe, I do not think I would be able to convince you otherwise."

Safira seemed miffed, but only slightly. "Less banter. What are you really doing here after two years?"

"You have contacted the Heir of Geffen. Though I heard...rumours that you had let him leave AYUS."

"Yes." The high wizard turn away, feeling the minstrel's gaze narrow on her. "I let him go, what of it? He would have injured people if I didn't."

There was a pause as Pezzo seemed to consider this turn of events.

"How trite a reason." Was his conclusion. "I am surprised, that you, imperial high wizard, could not have apprehended him."

"You have no idea what we were dealing with." Safira's violet eyes flashed with anger, "You wouldn't have cared if AYUS was destroyed, but I did."

"Perhaps." Replied the minstrel, his voice was pleasant to listen to, but intentions unreadable, "Then, perhaps it was because of your disobedient assistant that nearly got himself killed...and you had to save him."

The high wizard tensed, her mind a tornado of thoughts. When September had been hit by that fireball, she swore her heart nearly stopped.

"O-of course I had to save him!" She blurted, "I would have saved Martius if he was there! Why is that of any special concern?"

"Because I was protecting _you_." Came a voice from the doorway. Safira put a hand to her forehead, she knew that voice. And she knew the owner walked so silently he was like a cat.

"Are you not a bit too...bold for your position?" Pezzo observed the red-haired sage, his tone was casual, as if he did not actually care for an answer.

"And I might as well be." September said cooly, "How dare you come and interrogate her when you owe her a proper apology for your negligence."

The minstrel hopped off his perch and strode over to the sage, Safira watched from the side, fear clenching her insides with a vice. There was no telling what the whimsical Pezzo would do. She was about to protest when a card whizzed past her head, embedding itself in the wall behind her.

"Last time I checked," The minstrel, now empty-handed, said to his subordinate in a soft, but dangerous voice. "I was the guildmaster, not you."

"And you don't deserve to be." September was not fazed.

"That would be_ enough_. September." Safira said through her teeth as she gave him a little push away from the minstrel. He winced as she touched his wound.

"I hope that sight trasher taught your servant a well-earned lesson." Pezzo sidestepped and started to head out. "And growing too attached...will get him killed."

"How did you know--" The high wizard started to ask. _About the sight trasher...?_

Her eyes narrowed as she realised what was going on.

"You...you're playing us, aren't you?" She growled, "You were there all the time...you saw everything..."

"And you never once helped." September added, his voice monotonous, but Safira knew he only used it with people he disliked.

"I would not if I could not win...or did not have some leverage." Pezzo replied, walking past the sage as if he did not exist, "Though, I suppose I must make a trip to Hugel now."

"Wait! What do you mean...leverage?" Safira shouted after him, "You...you couldn't..."

"All I ask," The minstrel did not turn around, "Is that you place faith on my actions."

It was too absurd a request. Safira was about to ask more, but he was already gone.

-----------------------------------------------------------

_Snap!_

The twig in Ivanil's right hand broke, or rather, was cleanly cut into two halves. Yuresia panted, dagger in hand, sweat trickling down her face despite the cool mountain climate. The tall assassin looked down and nodded with approval.

"We'll end it here today." He announced, an almost unnoticeable trace of satisfaction in his crimson irises. The sage breathed a sigh of relief and nearly dropped to her knees with exhaustion.

It had been close to a month since Yuresia had decided to stay in Hugel to train with the former assassin cross in hopes of becoming a scholar. Ivanil was tough on her, often making the sage spar for hours on end. For the tall man, it was nothing challenging, he dodged every one of her attacks with ease and even a wooden stick in his hands was more formidable than her Damascus. Until finally, she had rendered that not the case.

They returned to the inn, and found it bustling with activity. More than half of the population were female hunters and snipers as they crowded around the bar. The reason: Hiroki. He was wiping a drinking glass and flashing that -may the Gods smite her if she ever admitted it- downright gorgeous smile of his. Service industry at its best? Yuresia sweatdropped, and felt a little tension in her chest at the sight. It wasn't news anymore, ever since Borea had made the high priest do part-time at the inn, all the females in and around Hugel had known immediately, and suddenly started to congregate here. But it was no time to be thinking of any strange thoughts, she needed a shower.

"Yure!" He spotted the blue head adorned with angel wings and came approaching her, she noted that he was wearing his high priest robes again. No doubt it was part of the charm that drew the girls to the inn.

"Just in time," Hiroki grinned and grabbed her hand, "There's something I want to show you!"

"Can't it wait?" Yuresia mumbled, a little irritated, "I'm filthy!" It was true, she had clumps of soil and grass glued to her legs and waist, and no to mention the sweat that plastered her bangs to her face.

"No, no!" He was pulling her out the door regardless, to the collective disappointment of the other women in the inn.

They trekked over the stone bridge built across the tiny river that flowed out to sea and through the small square that held the mystifyingly cheerful clown fountain. Until Hiroki took Yuresia to an open field where...pink gelatine bounced.

"Poring farm?" The sage was baffled, why did he take her here? The porings were cute, but she was not in the mood to appreciate.

"Yes," Hiroki replied, grinning mysteriously, "Just watch."

The high priest swept a hand in a gesture across the field, and mumbled something under his breath that carried a few select words of the arcane. At first, nothing happened.

Then, right before Yuresia's astonished eyes, white shining specks began to form between the stalks of tall grass, the porings started to flop around frantically, not knowing what was going on. At first, there were only several motes, but like stars that twinkles into existence, many more appeared until the whole field was lit by the white fireflies. Then, all of a sudden, all the specks seemed to swell in size like a balloon, then exploding into silver-white butterflies that fluttered towards the heavens on their wings of pure light. Shining dust rained down with their airborne movements, disappearing before touching the earth.

"Phew, it worked." Hiroki laughed in relief, "I was terrified it wouldn't. I've never summoned this many before."

The sage was at a loss for words. The silver magically-enchanted creatures danced on air in the thousands, forming a dazzling constellation above their heads, an ocean wave made of white light. She almost forgot to breathe again. For an instant, Yuresia felt like she was back to the hillsides of Geffen, back when she could run barefeet over the soft grass without a care in the world.

"Th-thank you, Hiroki!" She finally managed to say, her eyes wide, as if she could not bear to blink and miss the sight for an instant, "How did you know I love butterflies?"

"I didn't." He replied truthfully, "But it's the only thing I could do, and I like them too."

"Thank you..." She said again, though this time, she was looking up at him, a sweet, genuine smile on her face. Hiroki could not help but feeling his face turn slightly warm, Yuresia had that effect on him, for some reason. He raised his hands and placed them on her shoulders.

"You're...beautiful." He breathed, drowned out by those large emerald eyes that captured all light, "D-don't move."

Time was a funny thing. It seemed to stretch on endless as he approached her, just shy of slowing everything to a complete halt. Obediently, or in as much of a trance as he was, Yuresia did not move an inch, until, ever so gently, their lips touched.

And it did mean something this time.

Hiroki's hands slid up from where they rested on her shoulders, until the tips of his fingers tenderly supported her lower jaw, drawing her in closer. His mind was filled with images of her, Yuresia, the girl he needed to cherish and protect. For the instant that felt like minutes, even hours, nothing else mattered in the world. Not the fact that he still wasn't sure what he was, and why he existed. Because as long as she was there, that was all that mattered. He broke away finally, feeling a pang of awful longing, but everything had to have a beginning and an end. They did not even notice that the shining butterflies had disappeared in clouds of silvery dust, and that the field was once again dark.

"W-what do you want?" Yuresia fired away a few seconds later, blushing furiously, "You can't coax me into doing anything you want just because you're gorgeous and powerful and a damn good kisser!"

He wasn't expecting this sort of interrogation after...kissing her. But truthfully, he expected no less from the girl who had dunked his head in cold water.

"Nothing," Replying pleasantly, Hiroki wrapped an arm around her shoulder, then continued when she did not protest. "Remember how Irya told me something before she left?"

Yuresia nodded.

"She told me that today's a special day."

"...huh?"

"Happy birthday, Yure."

-----------------------------------------------------------

**A/N: **SO I AM A HOPELESS ROMANTIC, but it's so fluffy even I can hardly stand it. And uh, no smut yet, still. I think I'm saving it for much later...I know you all want to kill me, but for the sake of good plot, I shall not join the dark side!

Pezzo finally made an appearance! What do you think of him? He IS pretty evil, at least that's how he seems for now...

Should September and Safira be together? What sort of drama will Pezzo's appearance stir up? What sort of dilemmas will Yure and Hiro face? But next chapter we're back to Irya, stay tuned! And **review**, so the author can feel happy and important and cough up more chapters.

Anonymous: Yes Genbu is from Kunlun, though Kunlun is based off of Taiwan, and not HK. And regarding the Chinese, I was just musing to myself about how to translate their names into Chinese. And I failed at translating Hiroki's, haha.


	13. To be human

Muffins to **Judy, Ellie, Moussi, Tellie, WindKitsuneOfDarkness, Yuleen, Freakmoister, Anonymous (how many of you are there? o.o), Fushica, Ashes Kittyhawk, nethernity, and Marchen** for reviewing! WHAT CAN I SAY? I LOVE EVERYONE'S SUPPORT AND I WILL LAVISH SAID LOVE ON YOU ALL UNTIL YOU BECOME VERY VERY SICK OF IT INDEED. Sal know's she's a lacking writer in that she writes whatever pops into her head and doesn't really proofread so she's just really surprised that her epic adventure of a group of misfits is actually entertaining. So yes, no worries about me discontinuing it, I've got the trilogy all planned out and stuffs...and I will stop rambling for now so you can get on with reading :3

Genbu's story...I hope those of you who don't think much of him can come to feel for this guy a bit more after this chapter...

**Scene XI - To be human...**

Irya was lonely, and she didn't want to admit it.

Irya missed her friend, whom she hasn't seen in 7 weeks. She hoped that Yuresia's training was going well, since transcending was far more important to her sage friend than Irya herself. Because of this, Irya had been shilly-shallying through her daily tasks. She never really expected that a visit to the valkyrie would yield anything for her, but this was so that Yuresia could feel more motivated with the support. And plus, Irya would be taking away the troublemakers that would distract the sage from her training.

Sadly, Hiroki could not be moved. Irya doubted that even the whole Pronteran army could drag him away from that sage.

There was, however, another reason that she was lonely, and all the more refuse to admit.

"Where's that champion?" Her colleague asked that day, "Haven't seen him for weeks. What did you do? Had a fight?" Irya shrugged. That was what it was...a kind of...one-sided fight. But had she won? She was not so sure.

Obediently, neither of the guys had shown themselves to her since her outrage. Irya only wished they were this obedient when she told them to stop fighting in the first place. Men were creatures she truly would not understand.

But in any case, their sudden absence from her life was more impact that she would have liked to admit. It was as though something in her orderly routine was suddenly dashed into chaos, and she often found herself standing in the middle of the streets at dusk and just...standing. Finding empty spaces in her mind and presence where a soft-spoken, protective champion, or a sharp-witted stalker with an equally sharp tongue would be.

Irya was so lost in thought, she did not even hear the clock tower's chimes, let alone Dr. Pedre's usual dismissal call. The alchemist named 'Frederic' placed her hand on Irya's forehead, the cool touch made her jump.

"Are you well?" The other alchemist asked, looking concerned, "You've been spacing out a lot lately. Have a concentration pot or two." Irya gave a lame sort of smile in response, this was a problem no amount of alchemy could solve.

"I'll manage," The silver-haired girl muttered before dragging her cart out onto the streets. Almost habitually, her blue eyes drifted to the lamppost, expecting a tall man with a hot-blooded bandana wrapped around his forehead standing and waiting for her like a loyal guard. But there was no one there. The chittering night sounds, voices of people, and water lapping against the stone-paved banks all receded into a quiet murmur at the back of her mind.

There was nothing to do that night and Irya felt lonelier than ever. She walked over to the banks and sat herself down, legs dangling over the edge and above the water. The alchemist shuddered as she remembered the horrible ordeal she had gone through after she was tossed into the canal. For a split second, she was just a little satisfied with actions. But that was soon washed away with a wave of forlorn. Alright, so she regretted telling them to never appear in front of her again, but everyone says things they regret later when they were angry. How was she any different? It was a part of being human...to make mistakes, and regret.

"Genbu...Penguin...where are you guys...?" Irya sank into her furry muffler and mumbled to herself.

I miss you two...I'm sorry.

So...come back.

A draft blew through the canal, creating scale-like ripples on the water's surface. It was nearly wintertime, Irya shuddered as the cold wind brushed her skin where the skimpy alchemist outfit did not cover and drew her cape closer around her.

"It's getting cold," A voice said. "You should wear more."

"Yeah, probably." Irya replied vaguely, not paying attention.

"Are you still angry?"

"Ha...ha. Maybe." The alchemist laughed weakly, "When I see those two again I swear I'll stuff them in my cart and revolution it until they beg for me to stop."

"Oh...I think...I'll come back later then..."

"Suit yoursel- HEY--!" Irya jumped up, rejuvenated from top to toe, and grabbed the closest thing to her, which seemed like a long strand of white cloth. She yanked it so hard the headgear untied itself and fell from its owner's head. "DON'T YOU DARE DISAPPEAR ON ME!"

The familiar-looking champion turned around slowly and cautiously, as if he didn't want to further incur the wrath of a wild creature.

Irya could have dashed up and hugged him and never let go, but her pride prevented her from such an act, and from expressing openly just how happy and relieved she was to see him. So instead, with an exasperated groan, she plopped onto the ground and pouted, suddenly not knowing what to say. To her surprise, the champion did not run away. She then figured as such, since his favourite piece of headgear was in her custody.

"So," Genbu sat down next to her, "You are still angry then."

"Of course I am." Irya grumbled, not looking at him. Now that she had the upperhand, she wasn't going to back down so easily. "Now...I thought I told you -both of you- that I never want to see you again."

"Ah, but you didn't see me at first, did you? But now...you left me with no choice."

"Then what took you three weeks?"

Genbu shrugged, "Just giving you some time to cool down. To be honest, I was scared when you exploded that day."

And you should be. Thought the alchemist, understandably begrudged.

"So," The champion reached out a gauntleted hand, "Can I have my bandana back now?"

"No."

"You mean, 'not now'?"

"Maybe...never." Irya deliberately made herself seem indifferent.

"You know I won't beg."

"At least an apology is in order..."

"I apologised three weeks back." The champion combed his dark hair with a hand, as if he was unused to them falling loose around his face like that. "If anything, you should be more mad at the stalker..."

Irya glared at him through the corners of her eyes.

"That's what set me off, you know." She snapped, "You're both grown men, why can't you just tolerate each other more?"

"Believe me...I try to be." Genbu replied uneasily, "But I swear...that rogue takes pleasure having a stab at me."

"How so? I mean...he only ever repeats himself, and goes on about the fight at the inn...it's just all so...petty." Irya finished with a flutter of her hand.

Genbu gave a short snort. "What're you talking about? I've long since gotten over that, if that's what you've been thinking all along."

"Then...why did you snap when he said something about 'teaching you a lesson in Prontera'?"

Genbu's expression suddenly hardened, eyes looking distant and dark. The previously relaxed attitude he had with her was suddenly withdrawn, becoming silent and cold.

"It's getting late..." He finally said, "Come on, I'll walk you back."

"DON'T CHANGE THE TOPIC!" Irya growled, "Tell me then, if I was wrong, what else did that mean?"

"It's a...long story."

"I'm all ears."

"It's really boring."

"You don't seem the type to get fuming mad over 'boring' things."

Genbu sighed, "Is there no way you would drop this topic?"

"No." Irya answered defiantly, "I'm sitting here and furious with you until you tell me why that makes you so mad."

"I could...walk away."

"Not without this piece of cloth." Irya dangled the headgear, "and plus, I'd hate you forever."

The champion sighed in defeat. This alchemist was harder to deal with than anyone he had ever met...well, aside from that cursed stalker.

"I hope you don't have anything else to do...since I'm starting from way back..."

Irya nodded, suddenly attentive.

"I was born in Kunlun, that city in the sky of the far east. My parents adored me because, well, I'm male. Don't ask why, it's just a Kunlunese superstition that having boys and carrying on the family name was a blessing. At first, I thought highly of my parents, thinking they were the best...until the day my sister arrived."

"Hold hold hold!" Irya interrupted, eyes wide, "You have...a...SISTER? How come I don't know about this?"

"It's a habit, I never talk of myself or my family much...And you never asked."

"No fair! But go on."

"My parents, being traditional, did not like my sister at all. They neglected her, berated her, and sometimes punished her fiercely for the smallest things, simply because she was a girl. I was treated far better than her, but unlike most other boys, who took this for granted, I couldn't live it down anymore as I watch her suffer at the hands of our own parents. So when I was eight, I took my sister, who was four at the time, and ran away from home for a fairer life outside of Kunlun.

But we soon learned that 'fairness' did not exist in this world. We went to Prontera as it was seen as the capital of opportunity. My sister and I managed to scrape a living by doing odd jobs around the capital, and I especially worked at the church, though I was not an acolyte at the time. Things were peaceful for a while, until the day rogues started to plague us.

You should know by now, that stalker is the leader of their guild in Prontera, right? Well, during those times when I lived there, he wasn't even in the guild. So I guess that was why we didn't know each other.

But anyways, rogues became aware of my sister and my presence in the city, and they took pleasure in making our lives a nightmare because we didn't have any means to defend ourselves against them. They often stole things from us, terrorized us into paying them money for 'protection', and wrecked whatever havoc they could. Our lives were already harsh enough without them...and then, it became even more hopeless for us."

"Is that why you hate rogues?"

"Pretty much. There is more though.

I saw them for the scumbags they were...they refused to bother the higher-job holders, and only picked on the weak. A bunch of cowardly pack dogs, they were. So I came to one conclusion, the only way to stop them from bothering us...was to get stronger.

So for the first time in my life, I begged someone. I begged the church to let me enroll as an acolyte. They refused at first because I didn't have the necessary training, but I persisted so fervently until they finally agreed.

I admit, because of the years of oppression my sister and I went through, I have developed a rather quick and violent temper, I was quite paranoid and physically harmful. I was even known as 'that boy who will punch your lights out'. I caused trouble in the church ceaselessly, always resorting to violence to solve all problems. I didn't have any friends, and the other acolytes shirked from me because I was different. I did not care for God, nor did I forgave and love anything. I was only able to stay in the church because the head priest pitied me and my sister.

So they did the only thing short of expelling me from acolytehood: Sending me to the monastry.

Unlike what most people thought, the monastry was not the exclusive training place for acolytes aspiring to be monks. It was also where the misbehaving acolytes were sent to undergo strict discipline by the monks. And I think there's also a rehabilitation and recovery centre around there...anyways, it served these purposes because it was so secluded from the rest of Midgard. There, I set my mind on becoming a monk.

I worked hard, focusing all my hatred for the rogues into my training. My punches were no longer directed at others, but sandbags and dummies. Through that, I was able to placate most of my pent-up rage. I guess I have those sandbags to thank for who I am today...Naturally, I did become a monk within due time, and was one of the best amongst my peers. I also became relatively well-behaved for them to let me go back to Prontera and see my sister."

Genbu went glum then, and he hesitated.

"And then?" Prompted Irya.

"And then...was the incident the stalker mentioned..."

-----------------------------------------------------

Two figures stood in the graveyard at the back of the church. It was the last place any sane being in the middle of the night would choose to go, inky blotches of darkness smothered their surroundings, punctuated by deathly pale slabs of marble gravestones. The church itself was devoid of any living existence, as the internal structure was still in the process of being rebuilt after the disaster that had taken place there a month ago.

The two figures were very much human and very much alive. One of them was a lot taller than the other, which made the shorter seem like a child in comparison. Though that was probably not far from the truth.

"I don't like it." The taller figure said. It was a man, tone too serious to be merely talking to a child.

"We don't have a choice." The voice that answered was high, but crisp. Every word an silvery music-box note, lingering in the night air. "It doesn't please me any more than it does you...and you have to help me."

"I've already come this far, I won't quit now, you know."

"I didn't want to impose on you...never did..." The child shuffled.

"As you said, there was no choice." The man stirred in what seemed like a shrug. "But wouldn't your powers be enough?"

"I'm not so sure...not since this girl died. If I did, we didn't have to do this."

"But why do we have to involve Vanhugen?"

"The card must be destroyed. Its existence poses too many problems. The only Magic powerful enough to overcome it is Aeon..."

"There is no telling what Aeon would do once he awakens." He reminded more than informed the child. "My gut tells me he won't comply, not so easily."

"It's for my-and his-mother's sake. We can only hope."

"...I hate negotiating, always leaves a bad aftertaste."

"Your skills are much appreciated."

"Heh. Everything for you, young master." The taller figure bowed.

"Thank you."

The two people parted without another word. Each towards their respective directions, one to the church, and the other into the night.

-----------------------------------------------------

"So I returned to Prontera, confident that I can take on any of those rogues if they ever decided to show their face in front of me again... I went immediately to the church to visit my sister, since I hadn't seen her for over a year. But what did I see? My sister getting bothered by those rogues right outside in broad daylight!"

Genbu became a bit heated at this point, Irya suddenly felt a twinge of disgust at all things rogue-like.

"Is your sister alright?"

"Yes, thank goodness. If she hadn't ran while they were distracted...I'm getting ahead of myself." The champion let out a long breath. "Anyways, I couldn't stand their utter arrogance anymore, so I 'challenged' one of them. Well, in other words, I punched him out.

I couldn't have contained my temper back then, but it was one of the few things I regretted doing on impulse in my life. I won't go into much detail...they ganged up on me, and I would have been killed if my sister hadn't gotten free and alerted the patrol knights."

Genbu's brow furrowed as he remembered the pain, humiliation, and everything unpleasant to do with that incident. Their taunting voices...the redness of his own blood pooled on the ground mixed with their spit and urine... Not only was he defeated physically, but a part of his pride, his identity, was torn out, trashed and forever gone. He shook his head vigorously and let it fall onto his lap. Irya put a hand on his shoulder, feeling the champion tremble slightly under her touch. Irya didn't know what to say, it was the first time she had seen Genbu so vulnerable.

After a while, he said. "Though that was a long time ago, I still never fully got over it."

"How did Penguin...?" The alchemist couldn't help asking.

"You wouldn't know this, but," The champion answered, "he did speak to me in private, and told me he knows of my past and wouldn't be afraid to use it. Stinking rogue..."

"I can see why you hate them so much..." Irya comforted him, "but everything's fine now. I bet you could easily take on a gang of them!"

"Things are never as simple as that." Genbu replied, "As he said...I am afraid of the rogues." He sighed a puff of white vapour into the air, "I am weak, after all."

He was surprised when Irya answered.

"That's fine." She said.

"What's fine about it?" The champion retorted bitterly, "They have the satisfaction of being right about me...I am weak, but I can't accept it, not like this..."

"But I think it's fine." Irya gave a smile she knew would bestow confidence, "People _are_ weak, it's a part of being human. And when you realise you are, that is how you become stronger. I mean, you helped that merchant get back her bag, and you stood up for me against Penguin. No one has any reason to believe you're weak!"

"But--"

"I'm mad that you held all of it in until now." Irya gave a glare and continued. "And the only thing you can do for me is to be strong, and not to dwell on it. Alright?"

Genbu tried to say something more, but the alchemist in front of him looked so determined he couldn't bring himself to go against her wishes. What mystical powers does this girl have? He sighed in defeat, but realising that breathing had become so much easier ever since he told her of his past.

"Alright." He agreed. Irya smiled radiantly. "Strange, you always seem to cheer me up, somehow."

"I would never let a friend stay depressed in my presence!"

A complicated look suddenly darted across the champion's usually pacific features. Gone as quickly as it had came, Irya didn't seem to notice.

"I'm lucky to have a friend like you, then."

-----------------------------------------------------

**A/N:** I did feel immensely sorry for Genbu while writing this. I had his story in my mind all along I came to like him a lot, and because readers don't know about it, I can't say any of you really understood Genbu until this point. But I hope you can at least sympathise with him even if you support Penguin XD

Next Chapter: Penguin shows his true colours. Yes, they will all cough up their secrets in the face of the wrath of the girl they love. Muahahahaha. And I nudged the plot along a bit more... I need to feed on **reviews**!

**Extras:**

Let's play a game, reader and author together. For the next chapters, I will put a character on a "hot seat" in this section and he or she or it will answer any questions you may have. So feel free to leave questions in your review or pm me! Though I warn you that stupid questions will either not be answered or not answered nicely. And if a question will lead to spoilers, the character will also say so. The person on hot seat for next chapter is Yuresia. Fire away your questions at her :D


	14. Pride of Identity

Hugs to **WindKitsuneofDarkness, Ellie, Unfocused Mind, Tellie, Fushica, Judy, Moussi, Deviruchi, Marchen, Ashes Kittyhawk, K005, vollfield, Alchemygeek** for reviewing! Last chapter you learnt of Genbu's story, it is only natural that Penguin's story is for this chapter. Plus you get to know his real name! Read on! XD

**Scene XII – Pride of Identity  
**

The crystals' glow was dimmer than usual today, some guttered like candles, threatening to snuff out. Since the crystals reflect the environment outside of the AYUS cavern, I knew it must be raining. The air told the same story, heavy moisture clung to the walls and to our noses like a wet towel.

"September?"

I turned to see her approaching, a bouquet of white roses in cradled in the arc of her arm, their snowy petals contrasting starkly against the black cloak she had donned for the occasion. White and black, tribute to the dead. She gave me a wry smile and sighed, then extended a gloved hand for me to take. But I did not move.

"What's the matter, September?" She could tell I wanted to say something if I did not obeyed her immediately. I resisted a sudden urge to pull her to me, to feel her head resting on my shoulder and stay that way for a long, long time. She did not have to suffer for even a second in my presence, but only if I could... The only thing I could do was to understand her, to know her heart better than anyone else.

"You don't have to act strong." I said.

"I have to." She touched my cheek. The silk was cold against my skin. "But you understand, don't you?"

I did not say a word to that. It was often like this, for me and her, no words are needed when your heart knows the answer. Safira Lazuli Myer, my superior, the cold, objective, confident woman who did not let emotions rule her actions, or so she seemed to everyone else except me.

"You know, September..." She touched a white petal as if in thought, "Death claims everyone at some point. I see no point to live in constant reminder of it. But it doesn't mean I don't feel the pain of losing good comrades...life must go on, no matter who gets left behind."

"But we will not forget them..."

"No, we won't." She smiled. "Let's go now."

We walked side by side down a long path rarely tread upon, cobwebs crawled aplently on the ceiling and in between the crystals. It was quite a long walk, as our destination was a far one, deliberately situated well away from the commonly used rooms. The deceased need peace and privacy.

When we finally arrived, laid out before us were four gravestones in a small clearing of moss, these were the only grass that grew in dark places.

"It's been two years already...on this very day." Safira mumbled to herself. "Julius, Augustine, Noiem...and her..."

Walking over to the first gravestone, she took out several stalks of the flowers and placed them by the slab of marble.

"Julius...you would have been a brilliant lord knight by now. I knew you would."

At the second stone, she did the same thing. "Augustine, Junee and Janua are fine. I won't let anything happen to them, you can trust me on that."

"MAI is fine, Noiem, she's been a great help." She said to the third stone, "Kannazuki has been taking care of her, she really inherited your talent and patience."

The fourth stone was a special one, it was smaller than the rest for two reasons: we never found the body, and it was for a child.

Only three roses were left of the bouquet that Safira had brought out. I watched silently as she slowly knelt down in front of the small stone and placed the flowers at its foot.

"Wherever you are, I hope you find peace. Our namesake..." She reached out a finger to trace the letterings. "Your brother is as stubborn as ever, but he has been rather...motivated lately. I don't know if it's a good thing, watch over him, will you?"

The name on the stone read: Juniper Haze.

--------------------------------------------------------

"I really insist! It's your duty as a brother and family to her!"

"But I promised to stay with you for the two months..."

"I won't suddenly disappear off the face of Midgard in the next few days, and I'm not made from glass."

"That's true...but-"

"I can't think of any good reason why you should put off this visit. She must be looking forward to it, I don't want to sabotage another girl's happiness."

"..."

"Besides, I plan to vend all day today, what could happen? After this week things will get busy, and who knows what might come up? Then only Odin knows when you'd have time...not that we'd drag you along or...anything...but you know..." Irya took a breath, searching her mind for some other meaningful thing to say.

Genbu was yet again in a pinch. After finding out that he should be visiting his sister in Prontera Monastry regularly, Irya had spent the past 5 minutes telling him that under no circumstances was he to delay this visit another day. The alchemist was quite passionate about it, since her own family was a disappointment to her. On one hand, Genbu knew it had been more than a month since he last went to Prontera Monastry, and his sister wouldn't be too happy about it. On the other hand...he didn't want to leave Irya for even a moment, having a strong sense of responsibility towards her well-being. But he probably needed to rethink Irya's status as a physically defenseless girl since that incident on the bridge...

"Alright. But I'll be back in about two days." He finally caved in. "Take care until then."

"Tell her I'd definitely come see her if it weren't for my crazy boss!" Irya called after him,

Genbu smiled and nodded, recalling with a little cold sweat her mentor and his...strange tendencies to...oh nevermind. The white light of warp portal engulfed the world around him, or vice versa to Irya who watched him disappear into the magical gateway.

Humming, the alchemist made her way to the Alde Baran marketplace in the square in front of the clock tower. Adventurers came to Alde Baran to brave the monstrosities of the infamous clock tower, and merchants profitted on this, selling supplies and equipment right outside the gates. Irya went right to her favourite spot, by the ledge that separates a grassy area and the pavement. It was still early and there were relatively few travellers and merchants already there. She unpacked a cloth from her cart and started to lay out potions and other items. It was a routine she was never tired of, her purse became heavier with her cumulating experience in potion brewing. She always believed in honest trade, and it had repaid her with a good reputation amongst the travellers and other merchants of the city.

As she was placing the price tags, Irya couldn't shake off a strange feeling that she was being watched. The alchemist looked up slowly, and nearly jumped out of her furry muff. Standing right at the edge of her mat was a skinny, black dog. Its blood-red eyes framed into narrow slits were fixed so intently upon her that she dared not move. For a few seconds, dog and human simply stared at each other. Just when Irya was about to grab the nearest thing that could be considered as a weapon (which happened to be a potion manual), the monster sat down on its haunches and yawned disinterestedly, showing rows of tiny, tapered teeth.

"Hey, I know you." Studying the creature more carefully, Irya relaxed. It was the same matyr that had appeared before them in Prontera, on the day Hiroki was acting strange. The dog glanced at her as if to say '_that took you too long to figure out',_ then stuck out its long nose and sniffed the laid-out merchandise before him.

"What's the matter, are you hungry?" Irya asked, feeling a little stupid as she wasn't sure if the matyr could understand her. "I don't have any food, I'm afraid." The dog ignored her and continued to prod its nose over her items. When it came upon a dagger priced "3m z", the matyr seemed to take an interest. It picked up the weapon with its teeth an proceeded to trot away like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Hey! Put it back!" Irya yelled. The dog didn't acknowledge her existence. The alchemist sweatdropped. That attitude...it reminded her of a certain someone... After some distance away from her shop, the matyr stopped and looked back as if to taunt her, tail wagging and dagger in teeth, when she didn't move, it trotted further into an alley and turned away from sight. Irya growled, sweeping up her merchandise into a bundle with the cloth and dumped the package into her cart. The dog made off with her most valuable item, and she was not about to let it get away with it.

--------------------------------------------------------

There were certain things a stalker did and did not do. For one, he would not be seen wide in the open without some dire purpose, and even so, he would be near some buildings just in case the situation required him to become sneakier than usual. Hence it was blasphemous that the navy-haired stalker was in the centre of a bridge, leaning on its railings, and spacing out. Spacing out of all things! Passer-bys looked curiously and whispered behind hands. But the rogue in question did not spare a stray glance in any direction. Not until something nudged his shins suddenly.

"What is it, Khalien?" Without looking down, the stalker asked. The nudging did not stop.

"I'm not in the mood to--huh?" When he finally looked down exasperatedly, the stalker found the thin black dog looking up at him, a dagger between its jaws. "Where'd you get that?" The matyr dropped his loot at his master's feet and sat back, seemingly proud of itself.

"AH! SO IT'S YOU!" A furious scream was heard from across the bridge, "I KNEW IT! THIS IS LOW, EVEN FOR YOU!"

The stalker sweatdropped. That voice...it can't be...

Irya stood at the foot of the bridge, hands on her hips defiantly, blue eyes narrowed. If he was reading all the signs correctly, she was angry (wow, how obvious was that?) and it was because she assumed that he had directed for his matyr to steal something from her and therefore lead her here so he could talk to her in person. Of course, this is quite possibly what she was assuming.

He was so clever, too clever for his own good. Oh wait, that was the wrong reaction for a situation such as this.

Oh shit. But as a stalker, he'd never let an expression that told of how he truly felt escape to the surface. Instead, he mustered a scowl. Yes, right back at her.

_Alright, I'll try to be nice. I'll ask her if this dagger is hers and explain._ "What the hell do you want?"

"Oh please." She rolled her eyes and strutted up to him, "What the hell do _I_ want? What the hell do **you** want? Making your dog steal something from me because you're just too chicken to come and talk to me on your own?"

"You?" He screwed up his face and made a disgusted expression, "I don't _need_ to talk to anyone, much less you, dumpling head. What Khalien does is his own business, I've no clue what you're on about."

"Right, I'm supposed to believe that?" Irya stepped forward, a little too close for comfort. The stalker found himself backing away, wondering if she was going to...touch him in any way. He immediately found it absurd that he, a stalker, was wary of a small alchemist like her. She picked up the dagger from where the matyr had dropped it and threw the weapon into her cart.

"Well, then. If there's nothing to say, goodbye. I doubt I want to talk to someone who didn't respect me enough to call me by my name."

The stalker let a "tche" escape from his lips and proceeded to return to his spacing-out. But the matyr named Khalien, who was sitting and watching until then, did not seem too pleased. Before the alchemist could walk any further, he jumped up and clenched his jaws on one of the corners of her cape. Irya spun around, trying to shake the matyr off, but he was nimbler than she and always remained behind her. What ended up happening seemed to be a human version of a dog trying to catch its own tail.

The stalker decided he couldn't hold it in any longer. He made a sound best described as a snort, then full blown laughter. Irya shot him a venomous glance.

"What's wrong with your pet?!" She growled after many failed attempts to release herself. "Tell it to let go!"

"Khalien's not my pet." He replied after catching his breath, suddenly serious. "He does as he pleases. My partner, if you will."

"Is this some kind of conspiracy?" She protested, no longer struggling. "And what kind of rogue has monster partners? I've never heard of such a thing."

"A rogue who used to be a hunter, perhaps?"

Now there was something new. Irya perked up immediately. "You used to be a...hunter? But I thought hunters have falcons!"

"Long story short, Khalien replaced my falcon partner after I quit being a hunter." He replied as if it didn't matter. But Irya sensed something peculiar about this fact. Penguin would have made an excellent sniper with his bow skills. Why did he become a stalker?

"I don't understand, why didn't you stay a hunter?"

"Curiosity kills the cat, girl. You're asking too much."

"Will you stop it with that attitude!" The alchemist snapped, silently cursing her curiosity, "You can't just start to tell me something and not finish it! And we both have names, let's use them like civilized people, eh?"

"Don't misunderstand, I don't know you, and you don't know me. What meaning is there in names?"

Irya suddenly felt hurt. This stalker who had returned her purse, who had bargained for their freedom, who had followed them headlong into this fray even though it had nothing to do with him. But most of all, he who had been what she would consider a "friend" by all means was now telling her that they were complete strangers?

"H-how can you say that?!" She cried, "How can you say something so irresponsible? I care because I consider you a friend! And I thought that you did too! Why else would you be here and...not frolicking about somewhere else like nothing is your responsibility, like every other rogue?"

The stalker gave Irya a long, thoughtful look, as if contemplating what she had said.

"Good question...why am I still here?" He repeated, more asking himself than her. "Safira's probably right. I'm doing this to redeem for something..."

"Redeem...for what?"

"There was someone I failed to save in the past...and I blame AYUS." Penguin admitted, "If you -and your friend- hadn't met that high priest. There wouldn't be a need for me to do anything. But now I just can't sit back and let you put yourself in danger, you know?"

"What has Hiroki got to do with anything? And AYUS?" Irya was puzzled, it made no sense.

"It would do you no good to get involved with him and that guild. But since you already are...I have no choice."

"Stop speaking in riddles!" It was Irya's turn to be impatient, "How can I do anything to help if I don't know the situation?"

The stalker stared straight at her, his light eyes icier than usual. When he opened his mouth to speak, it was not the drawl she was used to hearing. Every word and its meaning was conveyed crystal clear. "Two years ago. Not long after AYUS was established and I was one of its members, a hunter. We were attacked by mysterious but overwhelmingly powerful monsters. My little sister was killed."

Irya fell silent in shock, not because of the truth that was revealed, she had more or less expected something to that effect. What shocked her was the tone in which Penguin had told her. It was calm, composed, like he was talking of some event that didn't concern himself.

"I was injured, and couldn't save her when she was carried off by one of them that weilds a large knife. Pezzo -that is the founder of AYUS- went after the monster. But he couldn't save her either, he couldn't even bring back her body." He continued in the same way, as if he was simply reciting an essay. "People died in that raid. Everyone changed after that, especially Pezzo, he was once a good friend. But now I can't be sure if he is a friend or foe."

"That's..." Irya was at a loss for words, 'I'm sorry' seemed such an insignificant thing to say to him now. "Well...I kind of understand...but...why did you blame her death on AYUS? They could have been just unlucky."

"I was bleeding myself to death, but I could still hear and see. I don't want to describe what I saw, but when my sister was in the monster's grasps, I heard it utter one single word. I could never forget it, that word was...'AYUS'."

The alchemist's eyes widened.

"They were clearly after the guild for reasons unknown. Pezzo started acting strange after that. Safira would not utter a word about it. But my innocent sister, who was only nine years old and not even in the guild was killed just because she happened to be there. I find that unforgivable, and myself too."

"Yourself?"

"Everyone has a name. That name is your identity." Penguin looked away. "I became a rogue for two reasons: I was disappointed in myself, I don't live up to my own identity anymore. I gave up being a hunter for a life in the shadows. Second, I wanted information, on the monsters that attacked us, and what AYUS is researching."

"So...The Damn Penguin is a name you gave yourself when you became a rogue?"

"People added the 'The Damn'. I originally intended for it to be Penguin...a flightless, fat, dumb bird, I know. It was the point." The stalker muttered, suddenly feeling bashful.

Irya chuckled, and it seemed to loosen the atmosphere a bit. "Are we finally getting more civilized now?" She asked playfully, "I still want to know your real name, if you don't mind."

"Bah, it's been so long, I won't respond if you call me by it. But it's Phoenix, if you really want to know."

"Phoenix...is a lovely name!" The alchemist exclaimed, "Sounds much better than Penguin. And a phoenix certainly beats a penguin." She chewed on the word for a moment, and declared: "I'll call you Phoenix from now on! It's such a pity to throw away a name like that."

The stalker grumbled something along the lines of "suit yourself", and returned the scowl to his face.

"You have such a gorgeous name, I still wonder why you rejected it." Irya mused aloud.

"When my parents named me," He explained suddenly, "they picked phoenix because it was a bird that never dies, they wanted me to have a spirit like the phoenix. But when my sister died, that spirit went with her. She was named Juniper because--"

"Evergreen." Irya nodded. "Juniper is an evergreen shrub. I guess that's why she's called so."

"Not entirely, we aren't related. My parents found her under a Juniper shrub...but I've always thought of her as no one else but my little sister."

"She's adopted?" Irya was once again thrown off her foundations.

"She's dead. It doesn't matter."

The alchemist shifted in discomfort, the stalker always made her wonder what she should say in response to his bleak remarks. The tension was thick at this moment.

"I didn't know all of this until now...so that's why you're trying to protect us?" She asked tentatively. The stalker did not give a response, but Irya had a faint feeling it was affirmative.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For...caring...and being here."

"Don't say nauseating things."

Irya laughed, Phoenix or not, Penguin or not, he was still he. She missed talking to her stalker friend. And she realised she could have stood here all day without vending, which was unacceptable. The sun was climbing higher into the sky, and the streets were already bustling with activity. She needed to get back to the square.

"Say, want to come to the marketplace with me?" Irya invited.

"No, I have better things to do."

"Aww come on, please? I'm lonely by myself."

"Isn't that champion around like always?"

"He's off visiting..." She faltered, thinking that it was probably not a good idea mentioning that Genbu has a little sister who wasn't deceased, "...his family."

Phoenix didn't say anything in reply to that, instead shoved his hands into his pant pockets, Khalien had long let go of Irya's cape, he was originally sitting loyally at the stalker's feet, but shook himself then and stood up. Irya smiled.

"Come on!" She took the handles of her cart and started to push it off the bridge.

"One thing before we go."

She turned around and immediately sensed that something was not right. He had that smirk on his face again...

"I did ask Khalien to bring you here."

There was a moment of silence.

"But you said--"

"Though, I never asked him to do so by stealing something." He shrugged and started to follow her, "So I didn't lie, after all."

"ARGH! YOU, YOU--!"

Lesson learned: A rogue will always be a rogue.

--------------------------------------------------------

**A/N:** I don't like putting redundant details in my stories, so please pay heed to every detail x3 It would serve you well to understand what's going on much later. New fic arts are up on my profile page (there are a lot!), including Hiroki's new 'outfit' (or the lack thereof). Speaking of which, he's probably the most abused character I have EVER made. Oh Hiroki is going to be on the hotseat next, I imagine there's going to be a TON of questions for him (I'll be disappointed if there isn't!) Leave them in **reviews** or PM me through my profile! Thanks to Tela for beta-ing this chapter!

**Extra:**

Sal: Hi everyone, welcome to the first round of CotGB character hotseatting! How are you feeling, Yure?

Yure: I would have preferred to not be here, but get on with it.

Sal: So, when will you go transcendant?

Yure: When I'm good and ready, or in a week, or two chapters later.

Luz: CAN I PLAY WITH ULYSSEA?

Sal: O-o where did he pop up from? And who's that?

Yure: Ulyssea is my dancer alter-ego...

Luz: PLEEEAASE?

Hiroki: NO.

Yure: Alright, what he says.

Sal: Ahh, the following questions have much to do with Hiroki. Haha, people are really interested in your relationship with him. Well, first of all, have you forgiven Hiroki for killing your parents or do you still hate him?

Yure: Good question... I believe I started to get attached to him before I knew about that. So it came as a real shock. I wasn't sure what to feel then, I want to hate him so much for lying to me and for what he did, but I couldn't. No reason, I just couldn't hate him. The only thing left to do is to forgive him, especially with him promising to protect me...Damn that high priest.

Sal: So do you like Hiroki?

Yure: ...Well...I do, I mean, well...

Sal: In THAT way?

Yure: -mumblemumble- Yes. I'm a normal girl, I mean...who wouldn't like a cute high priest?

Sal: So it's not because he's Hiroki?

Yure: I do like him because he's Hiroki. He's done all these things for me, kind of hard not to?

Sal: Alright alright, what happened after Hiroki kissed you on your birthday?

Yure: Nothing. We went back to the inn.

Sal: That's boring, you know something must have happened.

Yure: Maybe, but nothing physical. Next question.

Sal: Fine. Next question...oooh, did Hiro sleep in your bed?

Yure: Define "sleep".

Sal: Well, you know, did you share a bed?

Yure: No. He's been sleeping on the chair so far. Though speaking of which, I kind of feel guilty about it.

Sal: So you'll let him share the bed next time?

Yure: I'm not going to answer that.

Sal: What about metaphorically "sleep"?

Yure: We don't even share a bed! How does that happen?

Sal: Well, it doesn't HAVE TO happen on a bed...

Yure: You're freakishly perverted.

Sal: Yes, I am :D How old were your parents when they married?

Yure: I think Mom was 21...and Dad was 26 or something.

Sal: Are you planning on getting married to Hiroki?

Yure: Heck, I'm 18. Too early to be thinking about that, isn't it? Besides, can I rely on him for steady income with his lenient work ethics? And I wasn't quite done trying to kill Vanhugen, so no, not yet.

Hiroki: Wait, does this mean you won't marry me because I'm lazy?

Yure: Maaaybe.

Hiro: I'll work hard just for you! But then again, I doubt I can keep it up. Laziness is my signature trait.

Yure: Exactly.

Sal: Well, that's all the questions for this round! Thank you, Yure!

Yure: Thank goodness it's over.

Sal: Dear readers. Next chapter's hotseat is for Hiroki! If you have any questions for this cute but lazy high priest with a mysterious past and purpose. Feel free to leave them in reviews or PM me from my profile!


	15. Intermission: Birthstone

I'm lazy, so sue me D: Remember that Safira/September lemon that I had up a while ago? I figured it would be better if I just add it as a side story of this one, since they're closely related and all that. And people won't be as confused about it anymore.

**Warning: Technically this chapter should be rated M. So don't read if you're not comfortable with sex. You have been warned.  
**

------------------------------------------------

On a certain day before the start of events...

**Intermission Scene - Birthstone**

_Thump. _

A high wizard slumped onto the desk. Her shoulder-length blonde hair flowed over the pieces of parchment that were scattered on the surface of the wood. Her cheek was pressed against one of the papers with writing. It would probably leave a mark when she got up again, but she did not feel like caring at that moment.

Safira Lazuli Myer was a busybody. You would be too if you had to juggle the work of being an imperial wizard by day, and the co-leader of a top-secret organization by night. Sometimes she hated Pezzo, she really did. That cursed minstrel never took his responsibilities as the founder. He always wandered off to places to find inspirations for his new poems and songs no one ever wants to listen to. But unless they wanted to be vulcan'd, they had better keep that piece of information to themselves.

Now her mind was a massive heap of tangled yarn. She wanted to scream, wanted to sleep, wanted to go to the kitchen and stuff her face but she knew that can't be good for her physique. Odin, anything but the paperwork! She looked down her nose at the rows of numbers and graphs. MAIJS the data analysis robot had printed them out for her. They were the monitoring records for the day. And same as any other day, it probably meant that nothing was out of the ordinary.

Straightening her head so that she was balancing on her chin, she decided that the quicker she finished checking these, the sooner she would be able to grab a few winks of sleep before she had to head to the palace again. Then something fell before her eyes.

It was her favourite crescent hairpin, except it was broken in two pieces, lying pitifully under her nose. It must have happened when she dropped her head carelessly onto the desk. A curtain of gold covered her vision as her hair became undone.

The high wizard grabbed the remains of her treasure and shot up from her lethargic position. Now she really was prepared to scream. She took a deep breath--

"Miss Myer."

Stopping in mid-inhalation, she turned to the source of the voice that had called her. A sage with sangria-toned hair stood in the doorway of her office, in one of his hands was a pot of steaming coffee, and the other held a few napkins. He gave off an air of pristine efficiency and formality. The complex sage uniform was dressed to perfection, with the ring exactly perpendicular to his lean height. Dark eyes that were veiled beneath long, red bangs were blank and indifferent, yet for some reason seem fixed on the high wizard in front of him. Not a sliver of emotion was betrayed as he waited for the signal that allowed him to move or speak again.

"Ah, um, yes. Thank you, September." Quickly collecting herself, Safira replied, laying the broken pieces to rest on her messy desk. The sage nodded and came up to her, placing the pot and napkins in a corner where the papers did not cover.

Safira smiled to herself as she noted that he always brought in coffee for her at this time everyday, at the ninth hour and twelfth minute. His form would appear at her doorway with a courteous 'Miss Myer', bearing what would be keeping her awake for the next four hours. Perhaps only September understood her habits and needs well enough at this place, and she was thankful for that. September had been her assistant for over five years if she remembered correctly. They have fought many battles together, and he has never given her the shadow of a doubt that he was the best assistant any wizard can have.

Today, seeing him made her felt more pleased than usual, perhaps it was because it had been a not-quite-so-satisfactory day at all. She was often alone during these times, working into the wee hours. The other members of AYUS all had their own agenda, and she could not bring it upon herself to make them serve her needs. There was only…September.

Seeing that she did not need anything else, the sage excused himself to leave.

"September, wait." Safira called out to him, not knowing why.

He turned back, not so fast and not so slow. The high wizard also noted that she liked the way he looked when viewed from the side.

"I'm a little lonely," She explained to him, he looked at her as if he did not know what that word meant but was waiting for her to go on.

"So…stay with me for a bit?" Safira suggested. But she already knew he would obey her without a word. It made her feel strange when asking requests of him, she should not be taking advantage of that fact…

She brought the pot to a low coffee table in front of her work desk, and sat herself down on the long sofa that faced the platform, gesturing to her assistant for him to take the seat beside her.

September did not object; he was as silent as a cat when he walked too.

Safira withdrew two mugs from the compartment beneath the table, and poured coffee for both herself and her assistant. It was rare that she could afford to spend some leisure time these days. Work both in the palace and here at AYUS was bogging her down. She would go mad if it weren't for the nightly coffee that kept her at her wit's end.

"I'm sorry. You must have better things to do…" She said a little apologetically, handing a mug of the steaming black liquid to her assistant. He took a cautious sip, but did not say anything. The high wizard held her cup at her lips and watched him over the edge.

September was perhaps four, five years younger than her. She remembered that he was only an adolescent when she met him. She could never forget the sight of that blood-red hair blending in the perpetual autumn of Yuno...

"How long have we been partners?" She asked him suddenly. Of course, she knew, but it was for the sake of conversation.

"Five years and two months." He replied, so objective and terse.

"You haven't changed a bit, September." The high wizard laughed quietly into her cup. "Though…I probably have. A lot. I'm not as strong as before…I don't know why. I don't have that…that spark anymore."

Whatever she thought she meant.

"No..." The young sage spoke. "You are strong, and I admire you, so I follow you."

She smiled, appreciating that he was trying to make her feel better.

"Thank you, September." Another drink from the cup, "You're the only person I have now…after he—"

"He's not worth your time." The sage interrupted, suddenly not his unflappable self.

She thought she saw a flash of anger dart across his emotionless eyes. Could it be…perhaps…he was concerned for her?

Concern. What an outlandish concept. She bit the inside of her cheeks. Who would think a woman like her, at the top of her career, in positions of leadership, would need something as superfluous as that? But the bitter fact was, she did. And as any starving animal that was offered food, she would take it without a second thought.

And then, there was someone here who would do anything…if she tells him to.

She wanted to be selfish…just this once.

Safira laid her mug gently down onto the wood, and leaned towards the sage.

"Kiss me, September." Her voice was barely a whisper as she said with her lips close to his face, her eyes were closed, the strands of his bangs tickling on her skin.

September paused. This was unusual, as he always carried out her orders immediately. She felt his vision fall on her, and she waited.

Then, one of his hands reached up to caress her face, the roughness of the leather gloves was hardly noticeable under the gentleness of his touch.

"Yes, Miss Myer." He said, the wisps of his breath were warm and smelled a little like coffee.

Safira shivered when she felt his kiss, she shivered because it was as light as a butterfly, almost transient, but at the same time shook the foundations of her conscious. Yet there was more to the simple kiss than just that. She savoured the delicate touch as if all the nerves on her body were concentrated at the point where they meet. However, it was not enough, and her mouth craved for more. How long has it been since she felt this way?

The fleeting moment of bliss was over before she knew it. The sage pulled away from her, opening his eyes. They were a deep shade of blue, she studied them as it was the first time she had seen their real colour. His lips lingered in front of hers, as if he was also wondering if it was over already. But he backed away, and his face came wholly into her view, the hand that was cupping her cheek also dropped like a scab being ripped away. The feeling of loss and emptiness was almost indescribable.

"September…" The high wizard began, not knowing how to put her emotions into words. That instant of intimacy was a lure, and she was hopelessly hooked. The premature withdrawal only served to drive her crazy with wanton desire.

But there were questions of doubt in the high wizard's mind. Was the kiss so short because he hated her? Did he despise touching her? Was that kiss…just a kiss because she ordered him to? It was not hard at all getting him to do her bidding, but she wanted more…she wanted to know if…if…

"If you…didn't want to do it." She blurted, "You didn't have to!"

September's brows furrowed ever so slightly, breaking his usually emotionless façade.

He then shook his head. She was confused, what did that mean?

"I am willing," he replied, "to obey Miss Myer's orders."

"Idiot!" She yelled then, lilac-coloured eyes narrowed with rage. "Are my words all orders to you? Do you only do them because they are _orders_?"

The sage did not say anything.

"For five years…five years of command and obedience…" The high wizard continued to mutter to herself, "Five years I have known you, five years you have been by my side. Yet you're still calling me 'Miss Myer' like we have just met only yesterday…"

"Miss Myer…"

"Stop." Safira's piercing eyes looked up at him incriminatingly through her veil of golden hair, "If I meant anything more to you than just your superior…call me Safira."

September's eyes shifted away from her momentarily, his lips parted, then closed. A look on his face indicated that he wanted to say something, but it was as if he had chained himself from doing so.

The high wizard sitting across the sofa lowered her glare, inwardly blaming herself for ruining a perfectly good partnership. The result of a single desire to seek something for herself… Why can't she just be satisfied that September was merely her assistant? Why did she have to press him, to make him feel so awkward?

"Safira…"

She looked at him, stunned. Then she looked away.

"Was that because I ordered you too?"

The sage shook his head, Safira's eyes fixed back on him, waiting for an explanation.

"To me…you were always Safira," He clarified, finding that the name rolled out more smoothly than the first time he had said it. "I was just…unsure."

"Unsure of what?" His superior pressed on.

"If…" He hesitated, "if you felt the same way."

"That kiss, you didn't mean for it to be like that, did you?"

September nodded tentatively.

"Then…" The high wizard leaned closer to her assistant, the front half of her body supported by her arms in front of her, "Kiss me like you mean it…please… September."

This time, the sage did not hesitate. He tucked away the hair that was draping over one side of Safira's face behind her ear, and covered her lips with his. She wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him closer to her. There was no way she would let go anytime soon. This was the kiss, the kiss that September would give to his Safira…not Miss Myer.

She had her eyes closed, and revelled in her sense of touch and taste. Though she was more satisfied this time, September was only lingering on the outside. She could sense that he was afraid to explore a bit more of her, to break down that barrier inside that tells him he was not worthy of someone like her. His lips intertwined with hers, occasionally sucking on her lower half. His tongue slid over the sensitive skin and the outside of her teeth. She opened her mouth slightly, beckoning him in, but feeling him back away brought another wave of frustration. The warm, tingling sensation between her legs was unbearable. With a forceful tug on her sage's neck, Safira sent her own tongue into his mouth. This boy needed to be taught, and she would gladly do the honours.

Suddenly feeling something's presence in his mouth was a shock to September at first, but he soon realised what it was as it enticed him to join the heated embrace. He felt the front of her body press up against him as they both leaned back onto the handle of the sofa, with him sandwiched in between. Her body was warm and quivering slightly, and it was making his head swim and heat gather in a certain place. Without thinking, the sage wrapped his arms around the curve of her back; she seemed to enjoy this as she swung a leg over his middle, effectively straddling him. When they were both breathless from the kiss and broke apart to breathe, she only said one word against his lips.

"Clothes." She said.

With that, she leaned against his chest and pushed the ring off his shoulders, it fell with a clatter onto the granite floor. Safira then fumbled with the buckles on the large muffler, cursing in her mind whoever it was that designed the uniform for male sages. When the buckles finally went, she also pushed the tan-coloured piece of clothing to the ground. She suddenly noticed that it had gone too quiet all of a sudden. The high wizard looked up to find September watching her antics while sprawled atop him with a puzzled expression on his face. She suppressed a chuckle and took off her own cape, letting it slide off her body to join the rest of its ilk.

"The zipper's at the back." She pointed to the tight white and gold one-piece that was wrapped on her body. The sage looked perplexed for a moment before reaching behind and undressing the wizard of the last piece of clothing that covered her body.

Her curvaceous form sprang into view as she slipped out of the dress, wearing only thin, black, yet modest underwear at her hips. September turned a shade of scarlet that rivalled his hair and frantically averted his eyes, not knowing where to look. Safira really did chuckle this time, as she took his face in her hands and kissed him reassuringly. The sage, being a fast learner, soon took over the action. She then took his hands, ripped off the gloves and guided one of them to her breasts. His hand froze as he touched the soft mound and realised what it was. Her nipples were already standing hard. He rubbed the tip between his thumb and index finger, causing her to emit a small mew into his lips. Realising that she liked it, the sage continued to do what he was taught. It was only when Safira star placed her hand on his chest that he discovered the front of his shirt zipped open and his belt in the same state as his other clothes --on the floor. There was only one more zipper left.

She deliberately ran a finger directly over the spot, earning a jolt and a yelp from the sage. His eyes fluttered opened wide as he disconnected from their prolonged kiss.

"Mis-, Safira!" He blurted, suddenly jumpy. "A-are your sure?" She smiled slyly.

"I thought," The high wizard answered, tracing a finger playfully across his collarbone. "That's what we've been heading towards all along." Her sage was lean, as most practitioners of magic were. He stood only slightly taller than her, but had long legs and arms so he appeared to be lankily built.

"Is this your first time?" She asked him.

September nodded and looked away.

"Then," She leaned down and licked his neckline, while a hand reached past his chest, past his stomach.

"Leave this to me." Safira crooned close to his ear, and pulled down the zipper.

------------------------------------------------

September opened his eyes and felt the strange weight on his chest. He was dazed for a moment, wondering where he was, before realisation dawned on him…of what happened last night. Golden hair tickled his mouth and nose, he looked down.

Safira's head was resting just below his chin. He could feel her slow and peaceful breaths as she was curled in the arc of his arm like a small child. The leather of the sofa felt cool and clammy, and the dim glow of crystals almost ethereal.

Then he realised he was going to fall off the furniture.

The sage quickly dressed. Last night…was not a dream, he concluded. Images swept past his mind; silhouettes of her, of their…activities. He remembered the last words she said, which was 'leave this to me' and nothing very specific beyond that. For all the past years, he certainly had a strong attachment to Safira. But did it merit the events that transpired last night…? He felt weary.

His superior was still fast asleep. September bit his lip and resisted the urge to wake her up. What was he going to say? He picked up the fallen fur cape, laid it over her body, and left it at that.

When he was about to leave, something on her desk caught his eye. She had put it down when he appeared at her door last night. He walked up to the desk.

It was her crescent hairpin, broken into two pieces.

------------------------------------------------

"Hey, Seppy."

When the sage exited Safira's office, someone called to him. September felt a pang of annoyance at the voice, and turned to see a priest standing before him in the corridor. The expression on the man's face was a not-too-discreet mix of surprise and mockery.

The priest had angelic features that would make women of all ages swoon, but September knew that his tongue was anything but that. Martius was known for his unabashed sarcastic, sadistic, and scheming personality in front of everyone except his dear Vasaris, and speaking of which...

"…Your sniper is not with you." September said matter-of-factly. Martius laughed to himself at the statement.

"It's not a secret anymore…is it?" The angel-faced priest asked the sage, shaking his head regretfully, "and I was still hoping for the thrill of furtiveness…I guess that would be impossible now." He sighed dramatically; closing his eyes with his shoulders slumped.

"I am impressed, that you, out of all people…" He opened his eyes to a slit and studied the sage standing before him.

"Martius--" September interrupted, but the priest ignored him.

"You've got some serious nerve, Seppy" Martius continued, "Pezzo will be after you with all his cards and arrows and puffy pants…if he finds out."

"If you think that bothers me," The red-haired sage answered coldly, "you're wrong."

"No, no, that's not the _only _thing, you see."

September did not say anything, there was not a need to as the priest was only too happy to divulge to people what he thinks.

"I feel sorry for you," Martius cut to the chase, "you're like her toy."

"Why do you say so?" The sage inquired, even though he was sure he knew why.

"Just look at yourself!" The priest snickered, "Always 'Miss Myer' this 'Miss Myer' that. And I'm sure you've far, far exceeded the requirements to become a scholar, yet you're still a mere sage."

"Your point being?"

"You're doing it for her. Because you like it that you're rank is lower than hers. You like it that she orders you around." The man before him analysed maliciously, "It's pretty kinky, I must say."

September regarded the priest with misty half-lidded eyes, it would easily piss Martius off, and the sage knows it.

"What's with that holier-than-thou attitude?" the angel-faced priest made a displeased sound with his nose. "If you have something to say, say it!"

"So," the sage spoke nonchalantly, "you're still a priest. Does that make you Vasaris' toy?"

"H-hey! Don't compare me to you!" Martius snapped, livid that his taunting had backfired as September turned to leave. "It…it's because this priest outfit is easier to take off—hey, are you listening?"

"Seppy dear! You know all this is going to come back and bite you one day! Mark my words!" The priest hollered down the empty corridor.

------------------------------------------------

Safira awoke with a devastating headache, it did not help that she was in a rather unhealthy position, curled on the sofa, wearing nothing except for the fur cape that was draped over her body. She could not tell if it was night or day or sometime in between, as there were no windows. September was nowhere to be seen. She breathed a mental sigh of relief at that fact, as she truly would not appreciate awkward moments while she had a headache.

The blonde-haired wizard sat up with a heave, and instantly felt the soreness between her legs. She winced, it had been a while since she had done it, and not to say with such ferocious passion. Safira felt something trickle out from underneath her. She reached down and felt the slippery liquid, still warm from being inside her. September had not held back.

Sensing a presence at her doorway, the high wizard quickly pulled on the cape so that it covered her body. She walked to the wall and touched the crystal set in the stone. A hole appeared, revealing the dark corridors. She saw someone shuffle quickly out of sight and to the left. Frowning, she stepped outside her office, knowing exactly who it was.

"Vasaris, eh?" The high wizard speculated without even turning around.

"Whoa, is that how you always dress?" The tall man standing a few feet from her pointed to her naked body save the cape covering the important parts. She rolled her eyes in exasperation at his redundant comment. She could care less if it was with the sniper; he was not interested in women anyways.

"Where's Martius?" Safira asked.

The sniper gave a stifled sort of chuckle and shrugged, leaning against the wall. "How would I know?"

"Because you two are inseparable, everyone here knows that." She faced him, piercing through his feigned ignorance.

"…damn." He rubbed the back of his head. "But in any case…I know what you did last night, which makes us even."

Safira's violet eyes flashed. The sniper grinned at her triumphantly before continuing.

"Pezzo won't be happy…you know he doesn't like body fluids being spilled in here, especially when he's not around." He proceeded to shoot her with an imaginary bow, but abstained to do so under her fierce glare.

"To the hell with Pezzo." She replied, a tang of sourness in her voice. "There is nothing between us anymore. We're just…colleagues."

Vasaris looked down at her with slight pity.

She shot another look of warning at the sniper, "And I trust that you won't be spreading this around."

"Of course not! No hard feelings, no hard feelings." He shook his hands in front of his chest. It was not a good idea to get on the boss's bad side.

Safira, seeing that he had nothing else to add, was prepared to go back to sleep. She raised a hand to brush her tousled hair out of the way, instead, touching something cool and hard on her forehead. She fingered the object, realising that it was her crescent hairpin. She took the ornament off and held it in her hand.

"I don't understand…it was broken the last time I saw it."

"That thing…" Vasaris observed with his sharp sniper eyes, "it's got a crack on it."

So it seemed. The two previously broken pieces were welded together, perhaps with a bit of heat. But a crack was visible if one looked closely.

"You know, with your money, you can just get another one." The sniper sniffed.

The high wizard held the little golden moon for a while in her palm. She was silent and completely still, as if in deep contemplation.

"No thanks," She said finally, with an almost unnoticeable smile as her eyes softened, "I'll be keeping this one."

The End

---------------------------------------------

**A/N: **After half a year it's still corny.

I'm typing the next chapter! I'm typing! D:

New ficarts up.

And still recruiting questions for Hiroki. COME ONNNN PEEPS.

Sal has a blog now! You can go there for more info on the characters, plot, and future plans! Go click "homepage" on my profile


	16. The Minstrel

CotGB has reached 4.5k hits! Sal loves **WindKitsuneofDarkness, Ellie, Minana, Unfocused Mind, Fushica, Moussi, Shinde, Akaruy, Helmira, Anonymous(es?), Sakrash, RicePaper, Babee-Angel, and TenshiNoAkuma**. Come and lemme give you big kisses!

Everyone: EW!

**Scene XIII - The Minstrel**

"Come, Hiroki."

That was my earliest memory. Trying to recall anything beyond that would draw upon endless blank space.

I remembered the scent of grass carried with a soft breeze onto my cheek, and light spilling into my field of vision like a white-washed wall, abruptly ending at the edges of the shadow that large tree casted onto the field that day. And a man, an old man, reaching out his weathered and calloused hand at me. He was calling to me. "Hiroki" was referring to me, even though I did not know why. It became my name.

I took the hand and followed him. The hand was rough, but it was warm.

At the time, I did not know what it was exactly that he did for a living. The old man would sit at the veranda and smoke a pipe from morning until afternoon. He rarely talked to me, or anyone at all. But there would be visitors everyday, visitors who often brought gold and gifts. He would take one bland look at them and slide the door shut in their faces. I did not know why. He never did anything, but we never starved either, he always had money for food and necessities.

The house we lived in was old but well-preserved, wooden frames were still intact and the tatami was clean. The old house was spacious, but decorations were minimal. It felt almost excessively empty at times.

The longest talk I had with him was one cold night, just shy of a year from when he adopted me.

"Hiroki, what is a sword?"

"A...a weapon."

"What is it used for?"

"To kill things."

"Kill?" He puffed a breath of white smoke and fixed me with a piercing glare, "Why must one kill?"

"I...I don't know, Jii." (1)

"Yet they exist." Jii sighed, "A item that exists for no purpose other than to kill. Then we must ask why it is that a person wields the blade."

"Maybe...he needs to eat? Or protect something?"

Jii nodded absently, chewing on the mouthpiece of his pipe.

"If it is the wielder who controls the sword, he is justified for the reasons to kill. But I am afraid that is not always the case."

"Why?"

"The only purpose of a sword is to kill. It is truly fearful when the sword controls the wielder."

"But--swords are not, living..."

"Hiroki, you are still young." The old man interrupted, "Mark my words, never let the sword control you."

"I will never use a sword, Jii." I had replied innocently, the old man chuckled at my reply.

"Swords take many forms, Hiroki. You will understand...someday you will."

It was the end of the conversation. A few days later, Jii died in his sleep. He was cremated and the ashes floated in the wind with newly-blossomed Sakura.

His name was Muramasa.**  
**

-----------------------------------------------------

The charred remains of the dragon larvae Novus fell in a heap on the earth. The high wizard not far away scowled, it had chosen to attack him because it saw that he was wounded. But the monster had made a bad choice.

Hugel was not far away. But the night is deep, there was still a long time till dawn. Skin stretched over his now expressionless face was tight, as if nothing substantial was supporting it from under. The card was a narcotic, constantly sucking away the marrow of his sanity. But he didn't dare to take it off.

Or was it because it didn't want to be taken off?

He almost laughed when a tiny finger of his conscious tapped him on the shoulder and asked if he regretted it. The wizard did like to laugh, but right now, he did not feel like doing so. The situation was not in his favour.

Although there would be nothing to regret if he succeeded. A little discomfort now would be a laughable price to pay for the greater power he would obtain.

With a small flick of his wrist, he let a few flame bolts crash into a nearby tree. A dark figure darted with surprising speed from behind the plant as it also met the same fate as the dragon.

"Oh, I didn't intend to be found this quickly." The figure casually strode into the beams of moonlight. "Nice to meet you, let's get along now, shall we?"

He was a minstrel, possibly in his mid to late twenties. Long hair was tied into a braid that hung down to his waist. The high wizard regarded this newcomer with barely-disguised contempt. Normally, he would have destroyed anything that annoyed him on a whim...but the swiftness with which this man moved, and the fact that he was also a ranged fighter suggested against acting on impulse.

"My name is Pezzo Beryl, and I know what it is you seek." Seeing that the other person probably did not possess a sense of humour, the minstrel named Pezzo went straight to the point. "I am here to aid you."

"I don't need help." The mage sneered. "Get out of my sight."

"I think you might like my offer." The minstrel continued, as if he hadn't heard the wizard. "If I am not mistaken, you must find it hard to get into towns."

The other man narrowed his eyes. "How?"

"Why, all of Midgard is looking for you. Ever since you destroyed Prontera Church." Pezzo strolled to a tree and leaned on it casually, the high wizard's eyes never left him. "Even so, you have failed to obtain 'him', and it will be harder than ever now."

"Speak." Commanded the magic user, "What do you know about them?"

"I have my reliable sources...but that is besides the point of my visit."

"Stop wasting my time then."

"Time is running out, and I can help you." And there was silence. Interest was piqued. Pezzo smiled, the minstrel can sense such things. "I can bring 'him' to Geffen."

"And what do you want in return?"

"Oh," the musician paused a little, "We have similar goals. Thus I am only speeding up the process by offering to cooperate."

"You want a part of Aeon?"

"Could say so." Shrugged the minstrel. "But I have no use for meddling with magic. I only want 'him'. After you are done, that is. Do you accept?"

The high wizard ruminated the offer for quite some time.

"I accept." He finally said. "But don't get in my way."

The minstrel bowed, "Glad to be working with you, Vanhugen. I shall have good news in a few days!"

A corner of the high wizard's mouth upturned slightly.

_Bargaining with me? After I become Aeon...this singing trickster will pose no threat to me._

-----------------------------------------------------

The last day for two certain people in Hugel began with a bloodcurdling scream heard throughout the tiny mountain town.

Yuresia was curled up into a tight fetal position, with blankets clutched to her chest like her life depended on it. Her face was an ashen grey, pupils in her eyes contracted to tiny black dots and fixed on something on the floor beside the bed. It was a rare sight to be seen in the usually fearless girl.

"GET IT AWAY GET IT AWAY GET IT AWAYYYY!!!"

"Yure...it's just--"

"GET IT AWAY HIROKI GET IT AWAY!"

A few minutes later, the high priest tossed something brown, writhing, and squeaking out the window in a blur of legs and antennae. The sage, who had managed to get off the confines of the bed with considerable persuasion and travelled downstairs in the next half-hour, had to be sedated with a hot cup of tea.

"Oh dear, it's that time again." Borea rubbed her hands and remarked to the two, who had been watching her and waiting for an explanation for some time now. "Thiefbug infestation, they migrate to warmer places in autumn. Of course it's understandable since indoors is warmer and they're not very smart..."

Yuresia saw nothing understandable about large sewage insects suddenly appearing on ceilings, which just happens to be the first thing she sees when waking up.

"Aunt Borea! You could have told me in advance!" the sage accused. "I hate thiefbugs! It's all their hairy little legs and the way they scuttle..." She then shuddered to prove her point.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack." Hiroki elbowed Yuresia and laughed good-naturedly, "I never knew you could scream that loud."

"Shut up." Grumbled the sage, a shade of scarlet. Then, noticing that they were the only ones sitting in the bar section. "Say, where is everyone?"

"I've told all guests to return later on in the day. Ive and myself will need to take care of the thiefbug problem." The retired whitesmith leaned with one elbow on the table. "You two need to do the same."

"What about my training?" Yuresia asked.

"Go relax for today." Ivanil materialized on the seat beside his wife. Normally it would have invoked panic, but Yuresia and Hiroki had grown used to the Assassin Cross's peculiar ways. "You are as prepared as you can help to be. And a day won't change much."

During the past two months Ivanil had taught her everything he could about daggers, how to lunge and dodge, and even some techniques assassins use. Although she was much more confident of her own skills than before, she still felt squeamish under the prospect of seeing the all-mighty Valkyrie. "No one needs to be perfect, you just have to pass her test" Hiroki had told the sage when she became paranoid, but she only has this one chance, and she wanted to succeed.

"But, Uncle Ive!" Protested Yuresia, "I don't think it's a good idea since tomorrow--"

She missed the few glances Hiroki and Borea exchanged just then, which bore some kind of mutual understanding between them. The high priest grabbed the girl by her shoulders and pulled her to him.

"You heard him. We'll be going then!" He announced cheerfully, turning both himself and the sage to the door.

"What're--let me go, you--!" Yuresia struggled, "At least I can stay and help!"

"Noit'salright!" Borea joined in a little too enthusiastically. "With your fear of thiefbugs, I'm not sure it's a good idea. So be good children and go play outdoors!"

As the former whitesmith shooed them from the inn, Yuresia could not help but wonder how the two of them could manage to get rid of all the thiefbugs, not to say that there would probably be more in hiding than out in the open.

"Don't worry," She reassured them. "Run along now, you two. Have fun. Whatever. Just don't come back till nightfall."

It was when the high priest and sage was quite a distance away from the inn that a tremour was felt beneath their feet. Earthquake came first to mind, but it was gone as soon as it had came. Yuresia look back at the house. Another tremour, except this time, she could swear that the whole inn was swaying.

"H-hammerfall??"

"...Probably."

"I don't want to know."

-----------------------------------------------------

Yuresia bit into her muffin. Hiroki bit into his apple pie.

"I've always wondered..." The sage said after swallowing a bite, "Why you always have money even when you never...properly...work."

"I do work...part time for the church." The high priest shrugged, "and I don't have hobbies that require money, so I've amassed quite a bit."

"What exactly do you do in the church?"

Hiroki twitched. "I...teach."

The sage wondered why he had a traumatised look in his eyes when he said that. Teaching was a perfectly fine profession, despite his bizarre reaction. She shrugged and decided to ask no further.

They sat down on the stone border of the clown fountain to enjoy the rest of their breakfast. It was a warm and lazy morning for the season. Adventurers in a myriad of job uniforms were gathered in the square and around the shop stalls, mostly getting ready for another day's hunt. Yuresia had always, in secret, looked forward to the bounty-hunter's life. That is, when--_if_ she finishes what she had set out to do. Somehow, she was always reassured by the fact that Hiroki is right beside her. It was a strange new thing to the sage, to have someone to share her troubles and fears with. It was something she rarely did even with Irya, she would never think of putting pressure on a friend through her own insecurities. But with Hiroki it was different. She suspected he was the support she had subconsciously longed for, and now it was harder to let go than ever...not that she wants to anytime soon. What is it that people call this feeling again?

"I may not be able to defeat him." He had once told her, "But you will, I swear on my life I will make sure you will."

Yuresia believed him. _Her_ high priest support. And he was currently wrestling unsuccessfully with the wrapping paper of a cream puff. She sighed and reached over to help him.

Not far away, a crowd of people who have gathered broke into applause. Both sage and priest at the fountain looked up.

-----------------------------------------------------

Pezzo bowed to his audience, it had been years since he had performed in public, and he was pleased to know that his skills had not rusted...too much. The days of playing music and tricks in the streets in hopes of earning a few extra zenny or finding a party was long gone. It was amusing to pick up for a while, but after the first ten whole minutes, it began to grate on his nerves.

Pezzo decided he didn't like people. There were the ones he didn't care for and didn't bother to hide that fact, and ones he pretended to care for but really didn't. Only one person was the exception to both cases. And he wished he had never met her.

The minstrel ran a finger through the strings on his guitar and swept a glance inconspicuously through his audience and over the streets. Eyes resting momentarily on two figures beside the fountain.

What made those two different from the rest of Hugel's population was that he knew who they were, albeit they have no idea who he is. The minstrel's right hand moved over the strings as a well-known and popular tune emanated from the instrument. He didn't need to think while playing music, as a good bard needs to be. A good performer also has to always kept eye contact with his audience, and Pezzo did this while watching his targets through his peripheral vision. The sage girl pointed in his direction and said something to the high priest, who responded with a shrug and some comments. Pezzo was getting just a little impatient. He silently willed for them to stop conversing and come over so he could finish his job.

Somewhere during the middle of a chorus, the sage and high priest decided to come for a closer look, much to Pezzo's relief, because then he didn't have to keep this act up for much longer. With a few final pluck of the strings, the song ended. And the small group of people broke into applause. Putting away his guitar, the minstrel withdrew from his sleeves a deck of cards.

"Now," Shuffling the cards expertly, he announced to his audience, "Who wants their fortunes told?"

Despite the eagerness displayed by others in the crowd, Pezzo stretched a hand towards the particular blue-haired sage girl.

"The young lady over there, yes, you." He answered as the girl looked around and pointed to herself to confirm, "Please come closer."

When the girl approached (with the high priest following. Pezzo tried not to take notice), "What kind of fortunes would you like to have told?" the minstrel finished shuffling his deck and asked.

The sage blinked. "Fortunes? I don't believe in that stuff."

"You hurt my feelings, milady." The minstrel pulled a hurt expression dramatically as if to prove his point. "But we will do something interesting nevertheless. Please, do pick a card."

The sage raised an eyebrow at him and obliged, the priest also looked interested. Despite that, Pezzo wouldn't waste time on someone who was not his target.

"No, do not show me!" He declined when the sage proceeded to flip it over. "You can take a look, but do not show me! Remember what card it is, now...put it back into the middle of the deck, face down, yes, that is correct."

Shuffling the cards yet again, the minstrel suppressed a smile to himself.

_Soon...very soon now._

"Is this the card you picked?" swiping off the top card from the deck, Pezzo displayed it to the girl. She shook her head and looked at him skeptically.

"Oops, my mistake." The minstrel laughed, "I meant--"

He reached a hand behind her head and produced a card with a flutter of his fingers.

No one saw that another had disappeared into the sage's large collar in the process.

"--This one." He showed her what he held in his hand. It was a card with the drawing of a man entwined by barbed vines, hanging up-side down. The sage gasped and nodded.

"It was this one! How did you know?" She asked.

"Magic." The minstrel winked, taking back the card. "Have a nice day, milady."

-----------------------------------------------------

"That was...interesting." Yuresia commented after leaving the town square with a small, amused grin.

She had seen a minstrel only once before, years back. Bards were an elusive class, much like thieves. Instead of hiding in the shadows, the wandering musicians never tend to stay in one place for very long, always travelling from town to town, and in a day or less they would be gone like they were never there to begin with. She wondered if seeing one before she was to transcend was a good omen.

"I thought he was strange." Admitted Hiroki, who wasn't as pleased about being ignored. But seeing the girl's happy expression, he refrained from ruining the mood with a snide remark.

They wandered away from the houses and people. As fire-coloured canopies passed over their heads, and feet trudged on the path paved with orange and red leaves, two hands connected. It had never occurred to the two of them to think of holding hands and just enjoying each other's company. Sometimes, these things happen naturally.

"Hugel is so beautiful," Yuresia was the first to speak, "I'm a bit sad, having to leave. This place was like a home to me."

Hiroki murmured an agreement. To him, anywhere was better than having to go back to Prontera and face church duties...if the church still existed. He felt a small pang of guilt, having contributed to the wrecking of the church. Not that he missed anything about that place, but he was concerned about the well-being of the acolytes. He was relieved they were alive, but were they well-cared for? Some of those acolytes were orphans with no roof to live under now...

But was there a place where he belonged? Old man Muramasa was long deceased, and with him gone, Amatsu could no longer be called home.

"Hiroki?" Yuresia was waving a hand in front of his face, looking perplexed "You're always spacing out lately."

"Sorry." He mumbled, abashed. "I was just thinking...I don't have anywhere to go back to, now that the church..."

"That's not true!" The sage frowned. "You...you can alway--" She blushed and her voice trailed off. "--live here, with me."

"Borea and Ivanil will take care of you, won't they?" Hiroki replied, "But I'm not sure I can--"

Yuresia yanked her hand away from his grip, surprising the high priest.

"Hiroki Muramasa, don't tell me you'd leave me after all we've been through!" She pouted. "You're not allowed to leave my side, ever!"

Hiroki chuckled and looked away, Yure's pouting expression was too funny (and he feared making her madder by laughing at her). What has he gotten himself into the day he decided to follow these girls on their noble quest?

"I suppose..." He said, looking up at the autumn sky, "After everything's fixed. We can always join the adventurers, haven't you always looked forward to a free life without burden? ...Yure?"

When she did not answer, he asked. There was silence from behind him. Hiroki turned around.

For a moment, the image did not quite register in his mind. Yure was there, yes. And there was someone else. And she was snuggled within the arc of one of his arms.

"What the--" The high priest protested, "Wait... aren't you--? What're--? Yure? How?"

Hiroki the incoherent strikes at the worst possible moments.

"I assure you she is only sleeping." The minstrel looked down at her almost tenderly, which annoyed Hiroki.

"What the hell are you doing?"

As if to answer the question, the brown-haired man leaned closer to the sage, much to the high priest's confusion and growing agitation. As far as the Amatsujin was concerned, no other man was allowed to touch Yuresia in the way this one was.

Suddenly, the tip of an arrow was pressed against her neck. Hiroki sucked in a breath sharply. Somehow, the situation had just took a very wrong turn. But that was not all, the minstrel had another card in the hand he held the arrow with.

"The Tower." The minstrel whispered, placing the piece of paper against Yuresia's skin, where it sank and disappeared into her body, "The crashing down of previous beliefs. This card will kill her, or worse, cripple her for life. I have two versions of each card, and I can activate its effects at any time I want. She is asleep now because of the 'Hanging Man', which I placed on her during the show."

"I thought it was suspicious," Hiroki growled, "Why you picked her even when she didn't volunteer..."

"I am a bad actor, after all." The minstrel shrugged. "But she fell for this, and it was my purpose."

"What do you want with her?"

"Her?" The bard gave a chuckle and turned his eyes on the high priest, "Not _her_, my good sir. Or should I say, _Klironomos_?"

Hiroki tensed. That was not the word he expected to hear from someone he had never met before. He should have known all along that things were never going to go as smoothly as it had. He should have known this to begin with. He should have been the one to protect her from any possible ways they could use her against him. It was so obvious. What would _anyone_ want with Yure if it weren't for...him?

"You will come to Geffen, and you will come willingly." Still holding Yuresia hostage, the minstrel continued. "She will pay the price if you do not behave."

"Did Vanhugen tell you to do this?" Hiroki asked in an unusually low voice.

"Ah, I think we have an understanding now--"

"Unhand her." The high priest snarled, right hand out and in the form of a claw, a ball of crackling electricity in the centre of his palm, "And perhaps I'll spare you."

The tip of the arrow buried just a little deeper into the sage's throat. Hiroki cursed, but did not let loose the Jupitel Thunder. Neither person moved then. The minstrel kept his smile plastered like a mask, knowing it will unnerve the other person.

"...Please..."

The minstrel blinked.

"Please...let me just...stay with her until she sees the Valkyrie." Hiroki dropped his hand, desolate, "You want me, right? I'll do whatever you say. Just let me stay with her until tomorrow morning..."

The hostage-holder seemed to consider this request, Yuresia was sleeping tranquilly in the arc of his arm, completely unaware of the danger that once again surrounded her.

"If I let you stay with her for now, you will come to Geffen Tower tomorrow morning?" Turning green eyes on the high priest, he asked. "Alone?"

"Yes."

"And if you don't...?"

"...I will." Hiroki bit his lip, "So undo the card on her."

"That is for me to decide, and whether you behave or not." The minstrel snapped. "But...very well. Do know that I can activate the effect of the card anytime I want. And she would be severely injured, if not dead. You had better keep your word."

A butterfly wing was waved. Losing her support, Yuresia slumped to the ground. Hiroki quickly went to check on her, relieved to find that she was nothing else but asleep. But that tiny ounce of relief was not to be compared with the forbidding anxiety that was washing over him like ice water.

_What in Midgard is going on...? _

-----------------------------------------------------

(1) Old man, Grandpa

**A/N:** This chapter sucks. I'm sorry. I've been uninspired for the past months, so forgive the choppiness. Mkay? I wanted to put more plot in, so there's not much room for cutesyness. And I also apologise for that.

**Extras:  
**Sal: Today we have our lead male character, who is a lazy bum, who can't touch alcohol, who is a prude...  
Hiro: Go on anymore and I'll leave.  
Sal: Alright alright fine. Say, why ARE you a lazy bum?  
Hiro: Don't ask me why, you're one too.  
Sal: But why can't you give up your laziness? NOT EVEN FOR YURE?  
Hiro: ...But won't I be less interesting if I'm more angelic than I am now?  
Sal: LIES. You're not angelic. You're far from it.  
Hiro: More angelic than AHEM!Luzien.  
Sal: ...true. But what's the REAL reason you can't give up being lazy?  
Hiro: It's my signature trait. It's built into my system. I can't change that.  
Yure: Oh well, loving one means loving one's flaws too...  
Hiro: Yure!! -sparkly eyes-  
Sal: Hey hey, snap out of it! Next question: If you and Genbu fought and you were only using your priest skills, who would win?  
Hiro: I would, of course.  
Sal: You're so modest. How?  
Hiro: BY--uh, by...hey, why would we fight in the first place? He's my pal!  
Sal: Just "if" you fought.  
Hiro: ...I'd win. Because I'm just that much sexier.  
Genbu: ...  
Sal: ...pretend I didn't ask. But who's sexier, Genbu or Phoenix?  
Hiro: Who's Phoenix?  
Sal: That stalker who hates you.  
Hiro: Oh him...wait, why are you asking me this?  
Sal: Because you are bi and therefore have an opinion?  
Hiro: THE READERS DON'T HAVE TO KNOW!!  
Sal: Just spit it out, who's hotter?  
Hiro: Let's just say the hottest male character in this story is not one of them.  
Sal: But only out of the two of them, who's hotter?  
Hiro: I know what this is! IT'S A SCHEME to put me into a slash situation, isn't it, isn't it!?  
Sal: I'm not the one that comes up with these questions.  
Hiro: I hate your readers.  
Sal: Come on, we need an answer here...  
Hiro: Well...I'd say Genbu because he doesn't hate my guts. But the stalker is pretty decent too...  
Sal: Hear that? HE LIKES BOTH OF THEM!  
Hiro: ...I knew this was coming...  
Sal: Ahem. Was there any job class that you'd have much rather wanted to be other than mage/acolyte because it looks SO COOL?  
Hiro: Definitely not a class that requires me to work out in any way. Some intellectual class, like a biochemist! Actually, it would be pretty awesome if I knew acid bomb...  
Sal: You're "awesome" enough as it is. But any class because it looks cool?  
Hiro: If you're only talking about looks...I have to admit Assassin Crosses look nice. I can get used to that outfit, since the chest area is still open and all.  
Sal: ...Okay. Do you have any siblings?  
Hiro: No. Not that I know of.  
Sal: -sniggers- Not that YOU know of, that is. However...  
Hiro: What are you saying? I have a sibling??  
Sal: I said nothing. :D Continue! Oooh, what would you do if Luzien flirted with Yure?  
Hiro: Sizzle him nicely, of course.  
Luz: SHOULD I GO FOR THE CHANCES?  
Sal: Ask your creator or wife D: STOP BARGING INTO MY FIC. Last question for Hiro: Do you fantasize about Yure at night?  
Luz: Oh I've GOT to stay and listen to this.  
Hiro: ...  
Sal: Well?  
Hiro: ...You never gave me a sexual drive, crazy woman.  
Sal: I DIDN'T?  
Luz: (Un)lucky bastard.  
Sal: "But the sage uniform…hip…chest…" (quoted from Chapter 7) You lie! You have a sex drive!  
Hiro: "there was the unimaginable state of undress and a whip involved, and least to say he wasn't particularly fond of both traits anyways" (Also quoted from chapter 7) No I don't, woman!  
Luz: ...this really is going nowhere. You just have to answer "yes" or "no", be a man!  
Hiro: ...Nys.  
Sal+Luz+Yure: ...What??  
Hiro: NYS. Now I must be off to sleep. Good night.  
Sal: ...  
Luz: ...  
Yure: ...  
Sal: Well, Irya's next on the hotseat! Be sure to leave questions in your reviews, and don't ask her who out of Genbu and Phoenix she will choose to be with!  
Irya: Ohohohoho, I won't answer that.  
Sal: Told ya so.

**Game References:**

Hammerfall - Blacksmith skill, smacks a large hammer down and stuns targets on screen.  
Tarot Card of Fate - Minstrel/Gypsy skill, randomly chooses a card from a deck of 12 (I think) and endows its effect on the opponent.  
Muramasa - Cursed blade, raises attack speed by 20 percent but has a chance to curse the user. Legend has it that the blade never dulls and once unsheathed it must shed blood. Me like.


	17. Valkyrie's test

Aieeeeeee so Sal has returned...and is probably in for a beating.

-Gets kicked-

Short Summary Of Where Plot Was Because I Left It Hanging For Too Long:  
Yure's 2 month training period in Hugel draws to a close in late Autumn. The day before the last,Yure and Hiro went for a stroll in town and watched a show performed by a virtuoso minstrel. The minstrel turned out to be Vanhugen's accomplice, who cast a curse on Yure and threatened to kill her if Hiro didn't do as they ask, which was to come by himself to Geffen the next day while Yure goes to see the Valkyrie...

Scene XIV – Valkyrie's test

For the last night in Hugel, the high priest sat at the edge of the bed, unable to fall asleep with the turmoil of thoughts that possessed him.

"Come to Geffen on your own, before noontime tomorrow, or she dies."

He ran a hand through his hair, for the millionth time that night perhaps. She had no idea, no idea at all that everything they had worked upon now were going to crumbled into desolate heaps at their feet.

Do you not believe in her? Asked a small voice. 

He screamed to himself that he did, until the inner sounds would no longer come out or be heard. Until there was only despair. He didn't know what they needed him for. But one thing was for sure, Vanhugen would become much more powerful, so much more that even a scholar would not be able to defeat him. Seeing in his memory that one terrifying encounter they all had with Vanhugen, the high priest did not want it to happen again. He would exert every last measure to protect her.

Maybe you're just trying to protect yourself. The small voice again, cunningly. _Because you'd probably never see the light of day...or her again. So you try to distance yourself... _

Shut up!

You don't want to miss her, do you? That feeling would consume you. Wouldn't it?

I don't even know if I would still be me, or if I would still be alive. That doesn't even matter! I only want her safe. I only want her to get involved no more!

Isn't that the only thing I want?

-----------------------------------------------------------

Yuresia wondered why that, on the day of her supposed ascension, Hiroki would seem more nerve-wracked than she is.

She had been told that she collapsed from stress the day before and Hiroki carried her back to the inn. Strangely, she did not have any recollection of ever feeling stressed despite being fussed over by Borea and being told to 'take it easy' by the usually austere coach Ivanil. On the very contrary, the high priest said little apart from the odd 'thank you' and vague affirmatives and negatives to questions asked of him. This was not like Hiroki, who competed with Borea for cheerfulness every morning. He was, unmistakingly brooding. Also unmistakingly having dark circles under his eyes and ever more unkempt (is that possible?) hair as if he had been clawing through it all night.

The sage wanted to ask him why he looked so out of it. Where was the "Give it all you got, Yure!" every morning when she left to train? And where was the assuring fact that he would always be there as her pillar whenever she felt hopeless? Right now, he hadn't even looked at her straight in the eye! Yuresia wrinkled her nose, it was probably a phase he's having, or perhaps he was more stressed than she is. The high priest had a habit of always hoarding issues to himself, whether it was personal or about her.

But there was no time for interrogating, they were meant to leave immediately after breakfast. Borea wrapped a scarf around Yuresia's neck, chiding about things a mother normally would to their children about the cold.

"Aunt Bory, Uncle Ive...thank you for everything!" Yuresia bowed low to the two innkeepers. "I'll...I'll definitely become a scholar and return! I promise!"

"You don't need to promise anything, Yure." The retired whitesmith smiled widely, "I have no doubt of it. Ive trained you, after all!"

"I--I won't fail you, Uncle Ive!"

Hiroki shifted uneasily as the farewell exchange continued, saying nothing until it seemed like the older lady would never let Yuresia go.

"Yure, we should be leaving."

The sage looked up and nodded. "I'll return soon enough, Aunt Bory." Holding the innkeeper lady's hands, she gave the last parting words before stepping to Hiroki's side. His grip on her shoulder was tight as they headed out the door.

Before the door shut behind the younger couple, the high priest turned his head, and in an almost inaudible whisper. "Thank you...goodbye."

Then the door was shut.

"Something has been troubling that fellow." Ivanil remarked after a few seconds.

"You don't say." Said the retired whitesmith. "But whatever it is, they should sort it out themselves."

"I have a feeling it won't be so easy this time."

"Aah, it's so good being young. I smell an adventure."

-----------------------------------------------------------

When they stepped out from the inn, a blue gem was dropped and the two soon found themselves in Yuno once again. The city where everything began. It was exceptionally cold up here in the sky. The general monotonous colours of Yuno provided no comfort either. The few people about where wrapped tightly in clothing, and hurried towards their warmer destinations rather than stay out for a second longer on the streets.

"This is it, I guess." The high priest said, out of nowhere.

Yuresia nodded, not catching the double entendre in the high priest's words. "I've been waiting for this day."

"Are you...alright with this?"

She turned towards him, perplexed."Of course, why do you ask?"

"It's...it's nothing."

"Then let's go. Irya and the others are waiting." The sage made to leave when a force on her arm stopped her from taking a step further. It was Hiroki.

He did not know what made him stop her from moving towards her goal. He did not know why he acted so selfishly then. What would she say? What would she think? But all of that wouldn't matter anymore, not to him. Because...

It didn't matter what she would think of him now. There will probably never be a next time. So at least...at least...

Hiroki Muramasa, did you honestly think after all this time and coming this far, you can still convince her to give up? Stop dreaming!

"H-Hiroki?" The sage asked. "What's wrong?"

I'm sorry for being selfish. I want to protect you, Yure. Even if there is the tiniest chance you can stay unhurt without me, I will take it!

"What's wrong? Hiroki?" Yuresia asked again, "Ever since this morning you've been...weird."

The high priest's eyes never met hers.

"Yure...I..." He gulped, "I don't think...you should do this."

The sage raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

I'm...sorry.

"It's...it's not what you should live for. Revenge, that is."

"What are you saying?" Yuresia frowned, "I thought this is what we've been working towards, all along! Vanhugen is your enemy too, isn't he?"

In a moment, I will no longer be here.

"Just...just let it go!" He heard himself yelling, "It's not worth it! You don't have to kill him! Just forget this whole deal! Yure...please...just forget it."

"You're joking." The sage trembled, "How can I live in good conscience knowing the person who killed my parents in cold blood got away with it all?! How can you even suggest such a thing?!"

Time...there's no time...

"You want the bloody truth?" The words tore their way out. "You won't make it! You'd end up the same way your parents did! Dead!"

The sage looked as if she had been slapped in the face. If it was anyone else, she wouldn't have cared. But this was the person who had supported her, who had believed in her. "I...I thought you believed in me!" She heard herself scream, and something hot and wet rolled off her cheek, "You said I would succeed and you'd guarantee it! Why...all of a sudden?!"

I won't be there for you anymore. So at least, don't get hurt anymore...

"I..." Hiroki bit his inner cheek so hard it hurt, perhaps to redeem for his own words, "I...have nothing more to say to you."

The high priest turned his back, to avoid seeing her tears and to avoid his own tortured expression from being seen. It was never going to work. How ironic a turn of fate, for one wall between them to be pulled down only to have a fortress planted in its place. It mattered not that she knew nothing, everything was a simple family revenge for her and it needn't be complicated further by his presence. There was only one thing left to do.

As Hiroki opened a warp portal in front of himself, a new intention had sprouted.

Sorry, Yure. But I will head to Geffen, and kill Vanhugen myself.

Even at the cost of my own life.

-----------------------------------------------------------

When Irya saw her friend approach the Sage Castle from a distance, she sprinted forth to greet Yuresia with an enormous hug like she always did after a period of separation. It was not fair that the sage became leaner whilst Irya was sure she had put on some extra weight doing nothing that required extensive physical movement. Oh, how she missed her friend! It wasn't easy at all putting up with the two men, but at least she got the both of them under control somewhat. There were a lot of things she was dying to tell Yure, and Irya was just about to open her mouth when the girl's sharp intuition told her something was wrong, or the very obvious fact that a tall high priest was missing.

"Where's Hiroki?" The alchemist asked. Yuresia did not answer, only turning her head away. Irya then noticed that there was redness around the sage's eyes. She had been crying.

"What happened?" Irya asked, this time more seriously.

"I...don't know." Replied the sage, truthfully. "He left, saying that...that I should give up..."

Irya stared. "That makes no sense! Why would he say something--"

"I want to know too." The sage interrupted, "But I guess it's all for the better." She mustered a small smile. "I can't always rely on him, right? Let's go to the Valkyrie, Eely."

The alchemist nodded, but was still visibly confused as the two girls walked back to the gates of the Sage Castle, where both Genbu and Phoenix (surprise?) were waiting.

"Where's that high priest?" Asked the stalker as soon as they were within earshot. He certainly held no retraint about the things he wanted to know.

"Gone." Replied the sage before Irya could say anything. "But nevermind him." Yuresia brushed past the two men and headed straight for the gates.

The great architecture of the Sage Castle stood before her. Naturally, it hadn't changed a slight in her relatively short absence. But it felt like she hadn't been back for years. It used to be the place she loathed above all in Yuno. Yet she needed it in the most dire moment of her life. It was almost ironic.

_Hiroki...why?_

Brushing her doubtful thoughts aside. The sage put her hands on the handles of the gate and pushed through, towards the deciding moment of her training, with her best friend at her side.

"I don't know what happened." Irya whispered, holding Yuresia's hand as they passed through a long, dark corridor. "But know that I am here for you. Genbu and Phoenix too, and those people at AYUS, they will support you as well. So...you aren't alone, Yure."

Yuresia smiled gratefully at her best friend, Irya is truly the one with magic around here. They took a turn, and found themselves within view of the Book of Ymir. That enigmatic tome on a stand at the end of a thin platform, suspended over a deep chasm filled to the brim with books. Sages were bookish people, as their library had made apparent. A few magical ones were seen floating or flapping their way through the air. But the girls' destination would only be the unimpressive-looking, stationary one of the stand.

They approached with some apprehension at first. Before anyone could reach the Valkyrie, they will be judged by the Book of Ymir. If it made sense, you were let through. But if it read gibberish, then you were not qualified.

The girls stood before the book, side by side. Irya took a breath and forced her eyes onto the page.

She blinked. Once. Twice. Three times.

The words, indeed even the letters were alien scribbles to her. There was no way to decipher what the book said. The alchemist sighed, a part of her sorely disappointed, but also relieved. It didn't matter too much to her regarding when she would attain biochemist. If it wasn't time yet, there was no use in pushing it.

"I can't read it." She said, a little desolate but in good cheer. "Looks like I haven't worked...hard...enough..."

Her voice trailed off as she noticed that the sage was no longer in the space beside her. A few motes of light danced and vanished into air.

The alchemist smiled.

_Good luck. Yure._

-----------------------------------------------------------

Yuresia opened her eyes, like waking up for the first time in days.

There was golden light. It was warm, and her body felt weightless.

Then she realised she was stark naked. Did men who come to transcend have to be like this too? She wondered.

Wait...transcend? She looked about. Her feet touched solid rock and it made her jump a little from the coolness. Then she noticed, for the first time, that there was something...one...in front of her. Yuresia squinted her eyes, then stared as her vision cleared. Was there anything in the world that was as beautiful and powerful? She didn't think so.

The Valkyrie's golden hair rippled in the flowing magic. Yuresia was quite sure that "air" didn't exist in a place such as this. On the great warrior goddess's hair was a wreath of jade-green olives. She wore armour of blue, gold, and red. And in her hands was a long golden trident of sorts, pointing downwards. Six great wings of the purest white protruded from the Valkyrie's back. The angel of war had a serene expression, her face was so young yet so wise the sage thought it was an impossible combination. But things such as time and common sense probably did not exist here either.

"Umm..." Yuresia said, unsure of how to approach this beautiful goddess.

_"You want me to lend you my power, you want to become a scholar. Right, my child?"_

The Valkyrie spoke! Except her lips did not move, and her voice rang in all directions, a mature and powerful voice at that. The sage was taken aback for an instant, but felt no fear in the presence of the goddess.

"Yes, Great Valkyrie." Yuresia answered. "I was too weak as a sage to do what I must."

_"The Book of Ymir approved of you, as it seems."_

"I guess it...did?" The sage looked around then, but there was no sign of Irya.

_"Your companion was rejected. But she came close." _Said the Valkyrie in her disembodied way. _"But you, my child, you have some strange but interesting qualities I found in my analysis of your workings."_

Yuresia gulped. Anaylsis? They broke her up magically and analysed her?

_"Do not worry. Only your conscious was brought before me, you are perfectly safe."_ Reassured the goddess.

"So...am I ready to become a scholar?" Asked the girl, it was the nagging question on her mind.

_"Such a straightforward and impatient child."_ Chided the Valkyrie, but not unkindly._ "What do you want to borrow my powers for?"_

"I have something that I must do...I have to avenge my parents."

_"Your determination is quite admirable."_ Remarked the Valkyrie. _"However..."_

The winged goddess's tone became serious. _"I cannot grant you my powers."_

Yuresia snapped up, hoping she had heard wrong. "P-pardon me?"

_"I cannot grant you my powers."_ The goddess repeated, _"Because it is not yet time for you."_

"W-wait!" Cried the sage, desperate. "But I really need you! Valkyrie! I can't do this the way I was!"

_"I am sorry, child."_

"I've worked so hard for this day! Please reconsider!!"

_"Your time has not come yet."_

"Then...when?! When will it come?!"

_"That you must find out on your own, child."_ The warrior goddess replied. Her voice had begun to sound distant and her image flickered. _"But know that now is not the time for you to transcend yet."_

"PLEASE!" Yelled the sage, unable to believe that rejection was this harsh. She found her own voice also leaving her. "Please! I really need you...I can't do this...on my own..."

Yuresia found herself crouched on the floor of the Sage Castle, tears pouring down her face and seeping into the stone.

Irya was patting her on the back and speaking soft, consoling words.

"We'll try again later. Let's go back to Hugel for now."

Nodding and getting up, the sage pulled herself together.

-----------------------------------------------------------

She thought it was a joke. It had to be. An ill-intended prank.

The Hugel Inn was drowning in a sea of fire. Flames dyed the sky in orange and red, she couldn't even tell if it was night or day.

"NO!" She screamed and ran towards the burning building, the heat scorching hot on her skin. She could almost see the figures writhing in agony within, and the screams...

She reached out a hand to push open the door, but before her fingers could connect with the wood, the entire building collapsed, spewing hot embers from the crushed windows and walls. Her legs gave out beneath her as she fell to the ground, eyes fixed on the horrible spectacle before her.

"This isn't real...this isn't real..." She muttered to herself, a hand reaching out to the burning rubble, her vision quickly blurred with tears. She could do nothing at all, nothing. It was just like her home in Geffen, burned to the ground, and but a heap of charred rock and wood when she was well enough physically and mentally to go see for herself.

Vanhugen was standing before her. Cape billowing in the hot air and grinning sadistically, as if he held some terrible secret.

Stifling a yelp, the sage jumped to her feet and tore out the dagger from its sheath.

"YOU DID THIS! IT WAS YOU!" She screamed as she lunged at the cloaked figure. Stopping only a few inches from piercing a head of silvery hair.

"I...Eely?"

The sage bounced back. Newly horrified by what she was seeing now. Vanhugen held the alchemist by the neck, she faced the wizard, with her back to Yuresia. Irya's body was limp, motionless except for the feet dangling and swaying as the wizard brought her closer to him...

"NO! STOP!!" The sage screamed as she realised what he was about to do. He looked at her and sneered.

_What can you do at all?_

"I'll, I'll kill you!! Let go of Eely now! I mean it!!"

He made to laugh, ignoring her threat. _You're a worthless sage who couldn't do magic. What can you do at all?_

"I'LL KILL YOU!" She charged towards him again, her vision in blood red.

_"You are weak...weak...weak...weak...weak..." _Safira's voice echoed in her mind. _"Girl, don't dwell in things you're not capable of."_

"I..."

_"It is not time for you to transcend yet."_

"Why..."

The scene changed. It was suddenly dark around her, so dark she couldn't see a thing. Then she discovered it was the mist.

The air was humid, but cold. The ground beneath her crunched with dead leaves and sticks. It was deathly quiet, not even insects dared to make a sound. She was suddenly afraid, or whatever it might be called, Yuresia did not feel fear very often, though she was almost certain this was fear. But...she was not fearing for herself...for whom...?

_Hiroki..._

She looked about, frantic. He was in danger, she was sure of it, but...where? She turned to look behind her.

The first thing she noticed was blood, blood in such large quantities. Dark and viscous, flowing out slow from...

She looked up.

"N-No..."

She covered her face and screamed. Then she ran.

_Why?_ She asked herself. _Why can't I even be strong enough to save those close to me?_

"Why are you running?"

A voice asked, a voice she was too well acquainted with. It was perhaps the voice of salvation, but for a moment, she did not know how to answer the question it posed.

_Because I am weak, I'm...afraid._

"The Yure I know never ran."

_I-I can't help it! I can't do this...on my own..._

"Stupid girl. You aren't alone."

_You don't understand! They were always there for me...to protect me...yet I can do nothing for them!_

"That's not true."

_I don't need to be pampered! It's the truth! Isn't it?_

"They need you, Yure."

_I...can't help them..._

"I believe in you. Don't you believe in me?"

_I don't believe in myself, so what use is that?_

"You don't have to believe in yourself. But believe in me, who believes in you!" (1)

She stopped running. What kind of logic was that? She only knew one person who would say something so absurd, making her want to both laugh and cry.

_Then...what should I do?_

"You should know, you've always known."

The sage nodded.

"I...I don't want people important to me to die anymore. I can do this. Even without Valkyrie's blessing."

"DID YOU HEAR THAT! Your blessing! I DON'T NEED IT!"

-----------------------------------------------------------

She opened her eyes again. There was the familiar feeling of weightlessness and warm sunlight on skin. All the terrifying scenes and voices were gone.

"Why am I here now?" The sage asked after she had realised where she was, but considerably confused after doing so. "I thought I was rejected."

_"You were." _Answered the goddess, smiling in her pacific way.

"I...I have to save the others!!" Yuresia panicked when the imageries flooded back into her mind. "Let me go! I have to save Aunt Bory and Uncle Ive and Irya and...Hiroki..."

_"Now is another matter."_

"Wh-what do you mean?"

_"What you saw in your dream was your test."_

"E..eh?"

_"They were illusions created by me."_

"You...created...them?" The sage repeated the words, "that means...it wasn't real?"

_"No."_

"But..." She closed her eyes, finding the memory of the dark, mist-filled place once again. "I wasn't so sure...that seemed so real...and his voice as well."

_"Perhaps a person close to your heart had called to you."_

"That...that's...not possible is it..." Yuresia didn't know how to respond to the statement. "A-anyways, what did you mean by the test?"

_"It was meant to be your test."_

"My...test?"

_"Yes."_ The Valkyrie answered patiently. _"When you came here, you were convinced that without my powers, you would be helpless to do what you wish. Did you not?"_

"I suppose so."

_"Do you still hold the same conviction?"_

Yuresia frowned. "No. Even if you decide not to help me. I'd still go ahead and do what I must. My friends will be there to help me. It's not a big deal whether you give me your blessing or not."

_"That is what I find admirable about you, child."_

The sage lowered her head, abashed that such a powerful goddess could find her praiseworthy.

"So..."

_"Yes, child?"_

"Did I...pass?"

The Valkyrie smiled, a little more noticeably this time. Then suddenly, her wings fluttered into motion, she raised her golden trident and drew a large arc across the sky. A rainbow followed where the tip of the trident touched the space. Yuresia watched the spectacle with open jawed awe.

_"Yes. With flying colours. Now you have my blessing. Use your new powers wisely."_

-----------------------------------------------------------

She was standing in front of the Book of Ymir again. She was a little dizzy over how the transition from illusion to reality went so quickly and seamlessly. Then in the next moment, she was bear-hugged by a certain silver-haired alchemist again.

"Yure! You did it! I knew it I knew it I knew it! I'm so happy Yure! You're a scholar! I knew you'd pass!"

"This...is real, right?" Yuresia asked, a little skeptical.

Breaking off from her, the alchemist was smiling widely, albeit with liquid swimming in her eyes. "Of course this is real! Look!" She held up one of the sage's arms and pointed to the ver noticeable change in attire.

Yuresia then realised the furry feeling around her neck was not due to Irya hugging her forcibly. Also that wind was no longer blowing on her back and there were long pieces of cloth connected to her forearms and on her wrists, large golden bracelets with the insignia of the sage embossed in them glowed with an eerie blue light. She turned her hand over and pinched herself. It hurt. No, this was real.

"I..." She was at a loss of words for the ecstacy, relief, and triumph of that moment. Yuresia was never the type to jump for joy.

"This is not a dream." Sniffed Irya as she covered one of the sage's hand with her own. "You're a scholar, believe it."

The blue-haired girl nodded, letting herself smile. As she did so, a rectangular sheet of paper fell out from within her fox scarf, the girl picked it up. It had a drawing of a tower hit by lightning. And on the back, there was a pattern that seemed familiar to her...

"This...this belongs to that minstrel."

Irya looked over, confused. "What minstrel?"

"The one Hiroki and I saw in Hugel...he played some card tricks, I wonder why it's here..."

"Maybe it got stuck in your collar by accident?"

"Maybe..."

Suddenly, a burst of loud beeping pierced the air. It came from the travel pouch attached to Yuresia's hip.

Wincing, she reached down and rummaged until she found the source. The pair of evil wings given to her by Safira.

"Oh THANK GOODNESS you picked up." Safira's voice rang out loud and clear after the wings had touched her ears. "We need you to come to AYUS immediately, this is an emergency. Where are you? I will send Junee to warp you."

"Erm...Yuno...Sage Castle."

"Good, come quickly. Bring your friends if they are with you. The Heir isn't there, is he?"

"Yes...but how did you know?" Yuresia asked.

"Just as I had thought...but we will talk in detail in person. You need to come, now."

And with that, the wings spoke no more. The newly-turned-scholar looked to her friend, who had heard the conversation due to Safira being exceptionally loud. They exchanged ominous looks that replaced the jubilant ones seconds ago.

-----------------------------------------------------------

(1) - "Believe in me, who believes in you!" Taken shamelessly from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. This ranks as one of my favourite lines from that show. Awesome show, by the way. Everyone should watch it.

**A/N:** It takes a quarter-all-nighter (which really is staying up until 3 a.m. doing lab reports), being sleepy whilst annoyed at the same time because NOTHING is getting done, and proceeding with that by drawing a fanart of two certain people I've forgotten for the last 4 months to get me to do something about the state of this story. And even then, it takes me a full 3 months to finish this D: I phail, I phail so hard.

Also, I've decided to change the characterizations for some people slightly from now on. So don't be surprised if they suddenly go whacko or something. The entire plot of this story is meant to screw with the character's minds. So...yea. I know Hiro was an asshole in this chap, but he's gone through a ton of shit too I guess... (and it's completely my fault too haha)

News, news. Apart from Kubo Tite having my soul, time, and wallet these days. I actually have a website! Go to profile to see :3

About this chapter: It marks the end of the second arc. Beginning next chapter will be the third and last arc of CotGB!

I also apologize for the choppiness and excessive use of formatting D:

Sal: Today we have Irya Heinz on the hotseat! Irya you lucky moe-bomb girl.  
**Irya:** -Smile-  
**Sal:** Hmm, these questions can be separated into two groups. So let's start with the general ones first. Did you ever think of becoming a blacksmith while you were still a merchant?  
**Irya:** I did think about it, but only for a short time before I decided against it. Their clothing isn't as nice as the alchemist's, and I have to hit metal all day in a workshop, can you imagine the smelliness? So...nope.  
**Sal:** I see, so you chose the more knowledge orientated Alchemist class...Hmm, have you ever tried dyeing your hair before? How'd it turn out?  
**Irya:** As you can see my hair is too light, so the colour always takes ages to wash out. I like my hair the way it is though.  
**Sal:** Yup, like the way you are. So, are you excited about the biochemist outfit?  
**Irya:** -Smile- Very! Isn't the miniskirt adorable? Though I'd have to wear shorts underneath or be careful to never bend over too much. Haha! The cape is cute too, I'm looking forward to having my own set of jaws to destroy evidence! -Sparkle eyes-  
**Sal:** -Sweat- Your taste is very exquisite. But if you had a homunculus, which one would you choose?  
**Irya:** Vanilmirth! It's adorable.  
**Sal:** Same comment as above...Oh and we move on to relationship with others. First, if you learned that Yuresia was lieing to you all these years, what would be your reaction? And what would you do?  
**Irya:** Yure would never lie to me. She just hides a lot of things. I don't really know how that feels so...I can't really answer this question. I guess I would feel as betrayed as she is towards Hiroki...but I don't really know how that feels, so... I'm sorry!  
**Sal:** Don't need to apologize (Why is she so adorable? D:) Ahh, the following questions everyone awaits...but we know they can't ask you questions about who you like more out of Genbu and Phoenix.  
**Irya:** I won't answer that. But as of now, I guess I like them equally a bit more than I did at the beginning.  
**Sal:** You're a mystery, young lady. But someone cleverly asks "who do you prefer?"  
**Irya:** Isn't that the same? To be honest, I have to know more about them.  
**Sal: **Yes, but you know a lot about their pasts now. Who do you think is hotter?  
**Irya:** -Blush- They're both fine men. I mean, taste is a subjective thing.  
**Sal:** Yes, but in your opinion?  
**Irya:** They both have their good points. I mean, Phoenix is lanky, Genbu is well-built. Their faces are different too but equally attractive...oh I'm sounding like a fangirl...  
**Sal:** Don't worry, we all are. And...oooh, in your opinion, do you think Genbu and Pingu are bi? And why?  
**Irya:** Why would I think they're bi? They've never shown interest in men. And they loath each other, don't they?  
**Sal:** Oh but readers always think otherwise...Who do you think is more interesting, Genbu or Phoenix?  
**Irya:** They both have dark pasts, though I would say Phoenix's past is more interesting, because his is still kind of...mysterious. But Genbu always makes me wonder what he's thinking, so I guess...they both intrigue me.  
**Sal:** And that marks the end of the questions! I hope readers are satisfied...though if they're not...too bad! Next time it will be...BOTH Genbu and Phoenix in the hotseats! So send them (embarrassing) questions! See you next chapter! 


	18. Doubt & Trust

Sal is prepared to be bricked by many readers for this chapter...you'll know why...

**Scene XV – Doubt & Trust**

The large central crystal sitting in AYUS headquarters was named the "Reader".

It was an apt name, considering many things this mystic stone could do. Every naturally polished facet flashed different colours at different time intervals, creating a dazzling show to whoever that did not understand the true magnitude of its power.

Modified Alicia Information Juggling System, or MAI for short, recalled that Papa often said: if Reader had thoughts, it would probably be thankful that it met people who wouldn't hack it to bits to put in jewellery on fat ladies' fingers. She touched her forehead to the cool crystal face, not that she could feel coolness or warmth. She was the only being not technically _alive_ in AYUS. MAI was a machine, a robot, Papa had rescued her from Kiel and brought her here, where she could pursue the only things she enjoyed doing. Like sweeping and dusting and not killing adventurers. And of course, being with Reader. She was the only one who could understand Reader's messages. Kannazuki, the girl who was good with numbers and always wore glasses, was not her mechanic. Opposite to what many may think, the girl was MAI's assistant. No one was MAI's boss, not until Papa passed away. But he had built MAI so well, she didn't need maintenance to work day and night.

Reader usually had a certain interal pattern. Whenever magic flowed from one place to another, Reader would detect it and display a colour on one of its faces that correspond to direction or location of magic flow. However, random magic flows in nature are so common, it all becomes a pattern. Though that was only a very simple understanding of what Reader does. The guildleader Safira knew the crystal's potential hold no limits, and they needed MAI's help to decipher what it wants to say.

"Still no sign of it?" The high wizard asked MAI for the fifth time that day.

"Negative. Since 11:24:04 A.M. the spectra has not been detected."

Earlier that day, Reader detected an unusually large amount of wave movement. When normal people performed magic, it would eventually disperse into the environment because magic does not like to be obedient. The more powerful a magic user is, the slower their magic disperses. There are a few that disperses very slowly, like when the guildleader Safira fights. However, no precedented record showed that even random wild magic became obedient to a normal magic user.

But this was no normal person. MAI had encountered it twice before, once in Prontera and once right here in AYUS. MAI wondered if the source was even human...but nothing concerned MAI, if only she could continue to sweep and be with Reader.

The signal came from under Geffen, that dead city once known as Geffenia.

"What about the other one?"

MAI shook her head. "Contact has not been made since 11:23:42 A.M. in Geffenia, it is impossible to discern location at this moment."

'The other one' meant another anomaly in magic flow. MAI could only detect it if a contact with magic has been made. Because magic would suddenly cease to be a continuous drift, it will never coexist in the same place as that being. As if that being was not affected by magic at all...

"Thank you, MAI." Safira said, she looked troubled, and she left with the visitors.

The visitors...MAI has seen them before. They were with the source of the first special spectra that Reader had detected.

What would happen from now on? MAI wondered. But as long as she could sweep and be with Reader, that didn't matter to her.

* * *

"As you can see from the reports," Safira stated, "He was last found to be in Geffenia, Vanhugen was there too." 

There were six people in a congregation hall of sorts. Safira and her assistant, and the four visitors.

"What does it mean?" Yuresia asked. The pieces of paper meant nothing to her, she only wanted the concise facts.

"There is almost no doubt that he fought Vanhugen. And by the magnitude of these figures...he went all out as well."

The scholar's eyes narrowed. "Why would he do that?"

"I was hoping you'd shed light on that for us." The high wizard said, "You were the last one to have seen him."

The scholar let her memory drift back to the morning, to that completely different Hiroki, who wouldn't eat or drink or speak. As if too occupied with chewing over some dark secret only he knew. Then there were his parting words that cut like a knife. _"Give it up, you can't succeed. You'd end up dead like your parents."_ She bit her lip, the Hiroki the day before, and the months before that were all the Hirokis she knew. What had happened to change him so drastically? Even so, why did he try to discourage her?

"He...was not himself." Yuresia said, picking her words carefully, "It was as if he knew something, but wouldn't tell anyone. He also told me that I should give up trying to kill Vanhugen, that was the last thing he--"

Without warning, the scholar slapped the desk so hard that everyone in the room jumped. Then she drove her fingers into her own hair and gave an anguished growl.

_Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!_ _HIROKI YOU ENORMOUS AND UTTERLY HOPELESS IDIOT!! __Why why why why did you have to go after Vanhugen by yourself?!! I'm a scholar now! I don't need your overprotection! __Why won't you tell me anything? Why do you have to...go and make a hero of yourself? You idiot! __Fight alongside me! Not **for** me! I'll find you and make you pay for this!_

"Y-Yure? Are you alright?" Irya was worried. The scholar became pink after realising that she was the centre of attention. Even September raised his eyebrows, which was saying something.

"N-nothing, don't mind me." She muttered, "A-anyhow, I think he was trying to protect me..."

"He_ is_ protective, but isn't this a little drastic even for him?" The alchemist asked. (She had good intuitions, that girl)

"That's what I can't figure out." Yuresia put a knuckle to her forehead, "What did he know? And what happened? Nothing was out of the ordinary, and he just changed overnight..."

"Are you sure nothing strange happened? No one you met who could have had a connection with Vanhugen?" Safira pressed.

"I'm sure." Replied the scholar, "All I can think of was that I collapsed from stress yesterday, and he brought me back to the inn immediately. We didn't meet anyone suspicious. I guess, something could have happened when I was sleeping."

"That may be unreasonable," September commented, to Safira's surprise. "It was proven that the Heir cares too much about you, I find it hard to believe that he would indulge in idle chatter of any sort if you collapsed."

Safira sank into her chair, unable to see any connection with the events. What Pezzo had said before was probably a bluff, since she would have considered him at the top of a suspicious persons list. She looked to the red-haired sage beside her, he gave a slight shrug, meaning he had no other comments.

"About Muramasa," Said the champion, for the first time during the meeting. "Is he alive?"

Safira sighed. "The fight was abruptly terminated...we have no idea if he killed Vanhugen...or the opposite."

"B-but that's not for sure isn't it? You just can't find Hiroki if he doesn't use magic!" Irya stood up, "He could still be alive for all we know!"

"Yes, but the same applies to Vanhugen." Safira looked to the alchemist, "We can't find him if he isn't getting hit by magic, and now...he isn't."

"But that would mean he's dead!"

"No." The high wizard shook her head, "you're forgetting that it doesn't mean anything, because Vanhugen is immune to magic. If anything, it meant the Heir stopped attacking him for some reason. We have no idea what happened other than they stopped attacking each other. But hard as I find to admit it, it probably doesn't bode well for your friend."

There was silence as everyone contemplated this fact grimly. Everyone could see the logic in the AYUS leader's words.

"Hiroki is alive." Someone suddenly said, it was Yuresia.

Safira took a long look at the girl. "What makes you so sure?"

"It's not proven he's dead." The scholar shot back a look. "I heard him during my ascension test."

The high wizard chuckled, "Lots of people hear different things during their tests."

"Then I'm willing to believe he is." the blue-haired girl retorted. "I still owe him a punch to head, he won't get away with it so easily! I'm going to go to Geffenia and drag his sorry ass back!"

"I agree!" Shouted the alchemist, striking a fist on the table, "We should go to Geffenia in any case, even just to see what really happened! We can't give up on Hiroki! Right, Yure?" The scholar gave her a grateful smile.

"Aren't you getting too comfortable lately, Safira?" Before the high wizard could protest, Phoenix put his feet up on the table and drawled. "Beware of the attack of the flabs if you keep sitting in your office all day."

"Muramasa is a friend," Genbu said, "If he's in danger, we have to do all we can to help him."

The high wizard studied the four people opposite her, all equally determined to charge headlong into the fray without anything with the semblance of a plan. Finally, she turned to her assistant. "What do you think, September?"

"I think it would be wise to investigate." September replied.

_Not you too..._ Safira sighed again, completely defeated.

* * *

They were to depart tomorrow for Geffenia. Because a scout had reported that the normal entrance in Geffen had conveniently become blocked, and that a new way has to be found into the dead city. Safira said that Reader, the large crystal, could be used to find a way to Geffenia using embedded crystals underground. Yuresia thought it was crazy. 

"Reader is wise and powerful, Reader knows many things." The robotic maid MAI said, hugging the transparent surfaces. Her tone with other people was curt and strictly informational. But that changes to adoration when talking about the crystal for some reason. The other girl who works there said that the robot had been built this way so that she can bring out the maximum potential of the crystal.

AYUS was a strange guild indeed. Yuresia shrugged and figured she should get some sleep while she could.

She should also somehow contact Aunt Bory and Uncle Ive. They'd worry about her no doubt. But Safira had so typically forbade them to leave the homebase again. The scholar made a silent promise to go back to Hugel once the investigation into Geffenia had been completed.

_Hiroki..._

That vision she had...the Valkyrie said that someone important to her might be reaching out for her. She was still doubtful of it. But whether it was the reall Hiroki calling to her, or the Hiroki in her heart telling her. He still saved her from being drowned by the despair from her insecurities.

_Hiroki, this time...this time, I'll save you._

* * *

Irya couldn't sleep. It was funny, because Yuresia was fast asleep. The scholar was probably satisfied that whatever Hiroki had coming for him, he deserved it. Or that she was so convinced he was still alive and she would bring him back, she didn't worry about it at all. 

The alchemist crept out of bed. She wasn't so used to sleeping with creepy lighting (from the crystals). With the hot water provided in the room, she made herself some tea and, with a few tries, managed to touch the right crystal so the door opened.

She was surprised to find that, in the main hall, apart from the maid who was always with the crystal, there was someone else.

"Can't sleep?"

The alchemist held out an extra cup of tea, Genbu accepted it gratefully and nodded. "Yea, this place still unnerves me somewhat."

"Me too." Irya plopped down beside him. "I still can't believe everything just...became so complicated. But I suppose it's more stressful to Yure..."

"Is she fine?"

"Yea," Laughed Irya, "She's sleeping like a log now. She must really believe in Hiroki."

"It's strange," Noted the champion, "I've never seen Muramasa act the way he is around her with anyone else."

"Because she's special to him," Irya grinned, taking a sip of tea, "I wouldn't have believed he left her if she didn't tell me herself. But turns out he still cares about her in the end, though his way of expressing himself needs some serious work."

"Muramasa really is a blunt one. But it would be hypocritical on my part to say that of him."

"It would," the alchemist agreed, and they both laughed before slipping into silence.

"Yure is lucky..." the girl contemplated after a few minutes, blowing away the vapour that arose from her cup, "Sometimes I get a little jealous of her."

"Why would you be?"

"You know..." The alchemist drew herself closer together, embarrassed, "She's talented, strong, and never gives up...reminds me of how mediocre I am."

"How are you mediocre?"

"I don't know how to fight...all I know how to do is make potions and sell things."

"That's a skill in itself. You're already working very hard."

"I'm only working so hard because seeing Yure trying her best really motivates me." Irya admitted, her eyes distant. "Because...she is my role model. But I can never be like her. I get scared, and I back away from my problems. Yure always faced everything life threw at her."

The champion was quiet.

"You once told me that it's alright to be weak...because it's what being a human is." He spoke hesitatingly, "Even if it was Yuresia who inspired you to stand up, it is you who becomes stronger. Isn't that a good thing?"

"I suppose. But--" The alchemist hugged herself, "I wish I had that sort of strength in me to begin with...I'm just a nobody, after all."

"To me, you are plenty special."

There was a few seconds of awkward silence.

"Eh?"

"Well, what I mean is--" The champion quickly adjusted himself, "You are special, in your own way..."

Irya seemed to take that as an answer as she took a drink of her tea again. "I'm glad you think so."

"There's no reason why you should feel inferior." He continued, "There's no reason why anyone wouldn't like you for who you are...at least not me..."

"Genbu..." Irya's eyes went wide. "Are you...perhaps...confessing to me?"

He turned deep red and looked away. "If..if that's how you want to see it..."

When there was no answer, he stole a look back to see what the silver-haired girl was up to.

She was looking at him with a devious grin. He panicked a little but held his composure, what was this girl going to say?

"Just as I thought." She said, never wiping off the grin that made him feel uneasy in the pit of his stomach. "You like me."

"It's hard not to."

"Since when?"

"...right from the beginning."

"Ah," The alchemist was still smiling ever so slyly, "So is that why you always fought with Phoenix? You thought he liked me too?"

"I don't know about him!" Retorted the champion, "I just don't like seeing his face, that's all. It's nothing to do with you."

"Oh? Is it _really_ nothing to do with me?"

Argh. That girl was a devil in disguise.

"...maybe, a little..."

Although it wasn't very sensitive of her, the alchemist giggled at the champion's apparent squeamishness.

"Do you remember that I said I'd protect you?" Genbu asked. The girl nodded, it was the first time she had revealed her past to anyone who wasn't Yuresia.

"When you threw the acid on that wizard, all I could think of was to prevent him from harming you."

Irya's expression softened, she was still silent.

"This mission...it might be dangerous. I know there is no persuading you to stay here safely." He said after the girl seemed to want to object, "At least promise me to never act so impulsively again. I would be devastated if something happened to you..."

"I want to do this for Yure, at least." Irya replied, "But alright, I promise. I suppose I'll give you a hard time if I put myself in danger."

"Even so, I wouldn't leave your side."

"What about," The alchemist leaned closer, "Afterwards?"

"Afterwards?"

"You know, after things become peaceful again."

The champion blanched for a few seconds. Was this girl asking him whether he'd be with her...for life?

"...yes, afterwards too."

Irya smiled, "If it's really as you say...you could have told me sooner..."

Then she did something neither of them quite expected. She threw her arms around the champion, effectively throwing off his bearings for a full few seconds before he reached out and put his arms around her back as well.

"I've...hardly felt happier in my life." She admitted beside his ear, her voice low. "Promise me too, don't ever leave me now."

The champion affirmed this.

* * *

In the shadows, a person stirred. Ice-blue eyes closed in frustration.

_If they're happy. Who are you to interfere, Phoenix Haze?_

_You're just going to make a fool of yourself._

_Continue to be your fat, flightless bird. _

_Your brother is truly the stupid one...Juniper... _

* * *

The next day, Phoenix Haze the stalker could not be found anywhere. Irya took the whole (or she thought was the whole) of AYUS and turned it upside down. She used a sight clip and looked for footprints. But there was no sign of him. 

The rest of the crew had gathered in front of a newly opened hole in the wall, which, as Safira said, would lead them straight into Geffenia from underground. But the journey would take two days, wasting time was not an option. Apart from Safira, September, Yuresia, Irya, and Genbu. There were three other members of AYUS coming along with them. The priest who had a potty mouth, otherwise known as Martius, and his partner Vasaris, a very tall sniper. Junee the high priestess, whose elite teleporting and warp portal skills they were well acquainted with, was also in the group.

"As much as Phoenix Haze is a pain, his combat skills will be valuable to have." Admitted the leader of AYUS, "But we can't afford to wait forever, five more minutes is the limit."

Irya turned back and looked about, hoping that he would somehow pop out of the shadows and laugh at them for not being able to find him. But the minutes went by and nothing happened.

With the disappointment of the realisation that the capricious stalker probably changed his mind and won't be coming after all, Irya followed the group into the darkness.

* * *

**A/N:** The title of the chapter was inspired by the song "Doubt & Trust" by access, the third opening song to D.Gray-man. It makes a nice title for this chapter. 

-Dodges sharp pointy things frantically-

Yes, yes. Now you know who Irya ends up with eventually...just...forgive me D: I mean hey, it's good that I'm not as predictable, right, right? (Or am I...?) Oh well, I guess the rest of you can have Phoenix D:

I've planned for 5 more chapters after this until CotGB is over. Fingers crossed that I won't take another 7 month hiatus, fingers crossed for my own sake. I want to at least finish SOMETHING I've started in my life XD

Due to not enough questions received for Genbu and Phoenix. No hotseat this time. So send in questions! I imagine after this chapter there will be an uproar...

**Anonymous: **Good to see you again! Since I can't reply to you in private, I'll just have to do it here. Please refer to the first chapter for clues on what happened to Hiroki. As for other characters dying...well...Phoenix may die, but then again, Genbu may die, Irya may die, Safira and September may also die, or they may not...which means I'm not going to tell you if they die or not. XD The answers will come in time.

Please kindly review, it motivates me a lot. I like hearing what readers think. I mean, review for the sake of the cute faces!

**Review**  
(/ '-')/ \('-' \)


End file.
